CHICAGO  CONFLAGRATION, 


IWCLLIttSU 


THE   ORir.IN    AND  PROORKSS  OK 

,.     HAKROU  i 
IL\. 

CA 


Ooirroot 


roil  MALE  KY  M.   I.4M  IS   BOOU    A  M>   >»:>VS  <  O. 

i:,    ao 


LAWRENCE  J.  GUTTER 

Collection  of  Chicogoono 

THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   ILLINOIS 
AT  CHICAGO 

The  University  Library 


THE  GREAT 

CHICAGO  CONFLAGRATION 


THK  FIRST  NEWd. 


THK  SATURDAY  XIGHT  FIRE, 


[From  tfce  St.  Louis  Times,  October  lltb.J 
What  will  doubtless  prove  the  moat  de- 
structive conflagration  of  modern  times 
baa  been  raging  tor  two  days  and  nights  in 
our  sister  city  of  Chicago,  laying  waste 
alike  the  dwellings  of  the  poor  and  the  pal- 
aces of  the  rich,  magnificent  stores,  with 
thir  millions  of  merchandise,  hotels  and 
public  buildings,  gas-works,  depots  and 
waterworks;  everything,  in  fact,  that  ilay 
in  the  broad  swarth  of  the  destroyer  for 
miles.  The  city,  which  at  the  close  of  the 
week  was  bustling  with  prosperity  and 
proud  in  its  greatness,  is  now.  for  the  great- 
er part  a  lurid  waste.  A  hundred  thou- 
sand are  homeless,  and  thousands  beside 
are  beggared.  It  is  the 

GREATEST    FIRE    IN  MODERN  HISTORY. 

Considering  the  magnitude  of  the  inter- 
ests involved,  the  wholesale  devastation, 
the  untold  wretchedness  that  it  has  caused, 
the  effect  upon  commercial  interests  ana 
transportation  that  must  follow,  it  may  be 
set  down  as  the  greatest  calamity  of  a  sim- 
ilar character  of  which  there  is  any  reconl. 
VTe  do  not  except  even 

THK  GREAT  FIRE  IN  LONDON, 

for  the  aggregate  losses  will  undoubtedly 
be  greater  now  than  then.  If  our  later  ad- 
vices are  correct  that  upwards  of  ten  thou- 
sand buildings  havobeeii  burned;  it  already 
approaches  the  L/ondon  conflagration  m 
magnitude,  when  but  thirteen  thousand 
houses  were  destroyed.  Our  fears  are  that 
it  may  even  exoeeo,it. 

There  seems  to  have  been  two  distinctive 
fires,  one  occurring  Saturday  night  of 
which  notice  was  published  in  the  Sunday 
morning  papers,  and  which  we  were  led  to 
believe  bad  been  brought  under  the  entire 
control  of  The  department. 


The  tire  started  in  the  large  planing  mill 
situated  between  Clinton  and  CinaL  and 
Van  Baren  and  Jack-sun  streets,  about  the 
center  of  the  block  formed  by  these 
streets.  The  wind  was  blowing  very 
fresh  and  the  flames  spread  with  almost 
incredible  rapidity,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  entire  structure  was  a  mass  of  tire. 
The  immediate  vicinity  was  built  up 
mainly  with  small  wooden  tenement 
houses  and  two-story  frame  buildings,  oc- 
cupied as  groceries,  saloons,  io.  The  In- 
mates of  man.v  of  the  houses,  startled  from 
slumber,  had  barely  time  to  rush  from  the 
houses  in  the  scanty  attire  of  night,  leav- 
ing their  household  goods  to  destruction. 
In  several  instances  children  were  hastily 
wrapped  in  blankets  and  quilts  to  break 
the  force  of  their  fall,  and  thrown  from  the 
second  story  windows  to  the  ground. 

INDESCRIBABLE  SCENES. 

The  scenen  in  the  vicinity  of  the  confla- 
gration the  brief  telegraphic  dispatch  said 
were  indescribable.  Half  the  population 
of  the  city  seems  to  have  gathered  there. 
Tugs  in  the  river  were  engaged  in  towing 
to  places  ef  safety  the  ve*se'.s  moored  in 
the  neighborhood,  while  locomotives  were 
hastily  pulling  out  the  great  number  of 
cars  standing  on  the  track  in  the  path  of 
the  flames. 

The  loss  in  property  by  this  fire,  which 
swept  over  about  twenty  blocks,  has  never 
been  carefully  estimated,  being  submerged 
by  the  overshadowing  calamity. of  the  fol- 
lowing day. 

THE  SUNDAY  MIGHT  VIRE. 

HOW    THE     FIRE     ORIGINATED. 

I-ate  Bundav  evening  a  boy  went  into  a 
stable  on  De  Kowen  street,  (marked 
K.  on  the  map,)  near  the  river, 
on  the  west  side,  to  milk  a  cow,  carrying 
with  him  a  kerosene  lamp.  This  was 
kicked  over  by  the  cow,  and  the  burning 
fluid  scattered  among  the  straw.  This  wa» 
the  beginning  of  the  great  tire.  A  single 


extinguisher  on  the*  ground,  or  active  work 
of  the  police  In  tearing  down  one  or  two 
shanties, would  have  prevented  the  spread- 
ing of  the  flames;  bat  the  engines  were 
waited  for,  and  when  they  arrived  the  tire 
men,  stupefied  by  exertion  at  the  tire  Satui  - 
day  night,  worked  slowly  and  clumsily. 

THKIR  EFFORTS    WERE  UNAVAILING 

The  wind  from  tne  southwest  ble  w  a  gale. 
Rapidly  the  flames  shot  from  house  to 
house  and  board  yard  to  board  yard,  until 
the  district  burned  the  night  before  was 
reached.  Meanwhile  the  flames  crossed 
the  river  north  of  Twelfth  street  on  to  the 
South  side,  and  made  for  a  brick  and  stone 
business  block,  the  railroad  freight  depots 
and  manufacturing  establishments.  The 
full  extent  of  the  danger  was  then  realized 
for  the  first  time.  The  fire  department,  al- 
ready tired,  worked  like  heroes  The 
mayor  and  his  city  government,  who  had 
supinely  rested,  now  began  to  exert  them  • 
selves,  but 

THE  OPPORTUNITY  HAD  BEEN  LOST. 

The  time  when  a  thorough  organization 
could  have  blown  up  buildings  or  prepared 
for  the  emergency  was  neglected.  It  was 
now  a  fight  for  life.  A  stiff  gale  had  pos- 
session of  the  flames,  and  the  beautiful 
building*.  Chicago's  glory,  lay  before 
them.  Harrison,  VanBuren,  Adams,  Mon- 
roe and  Madison  were  soon  reached.  The 
intervening  blocks  from  the  river  to  Dear- 
born street  on  the  east  were  being  con- 
sumed. Three  quarters  of  a  mile  of  brick 
blocks  were  consumed  as  if  by  magic. 

THE  FURIOUS    INTENSITY    OF    THE    FLAMES. 

All  that  mnn  could  do  was  to  blow  uy 
buildings,  but  this  availed  but  little.  The 
Times.  Tribune,  Post,  Republican,  Journal 
and  other  newspaper  offices. Western  News 
company  's  block,  Field  &  Letter's  *•  stab 
lishments.  a  brick  block  lecently  built. 
Farwell  &  Co.  were  soon  in  ashes.  It 
seemed  that  no  sooner  had  the  flames 
struck  a  wall  than  they  went  fii  >«  -rly 
through,  and  a  very  few  minutes  mtiioecl 
to  destroy  the  most  elaborately  built  niruo- 
tnre.  The  walls  melted  and  the  bricks 
were  consumed. 

The  wooden  pavements  took  fire.making 
a  continuous  (-beet  of  flame  two  miles  long 
by  one  mile  wide.  No  human  bein*  could 
possibly  survive  many  minutes.  Block  af- 
ter block  fell,  and  the  red  hot  coals  shot 
higher  and  higher,  and  spread  further  and 
further,  un-il  the  North  side. Lake  side  and 
South  wan  a  vast  sheet  of  flames  from  the 
river  to  the  lake  At  one  time  so  hemmed 
in  were  the  people  tbat  it  wis  expected 
thousands  must  perish. 

TUB    WORK  OF  A   SIGHT. 

One  block  in  all  toe  vast  business  section 
remained  at  dayligbr,  the  Tribune  block. 
The  custom  house  and  Honore  block,  on 
Dear  hoi  n  street,  had  burned,  and  those 
who  ban  fouclit  the  flames  here  thought 
at  last  this  tuoek  could  be  saved.  A  oatrol 
of  men,  under  Sam.  Medili,  swept  off  the 
live  coalH.  and  put  out  flames  on  the  side- 
walks, and  another  lot  of  men,  under  the 
direction  of  Hon.  Joseph  Medili,  watched 
the  roof. 

At  7,^2  o'clock  this  appeared  safe,  and 
most  or  the  men  went  to  get  a  rest  or  food- 
A  number  went  to  sleep  in  the  Tribune 
building,  but  there  was  a  change  of  wind. 
The  flames  reached  Wabash  avenue,  State 


street  and  Michigan  avenue,  and  soon 
McVicker's  theater  caught  fire.  In  a  few 
moments  the  Tribune  was  in  flames,  and  at 
the  last  moment  the  sleeping  men  were 
aroused  and  rescued  from  the  flames.  By 
10  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  this  remaining 
block  was  In  ashes.  Now  was  to  be  t-nau 
the  most  remarkable  sight  ever  beheld  in 
this  or  any  other  country. 

THE  FLIGHT    OF  A  PANIC  STRICKEN    MULTI- 
TUDE. 

There  were  from  50,000  to  75.000  men 
women  and  children  fleeing  by  every 
available  street  and  alley  to  the  southward 
and  westward,  attempting  to  save  their 
clothing  and  their  lives.  Every  available 
vehinle  was  brought  into  requisition  for 
use,  for  wbich  enorm»us  prices  were  paid, 
and  the  street-*  and  sMewalks  presented 
the  sight  of  thousands  of  persons 
and  hordes  inextricably  commingled;  • 
poor  people  of  all  colors  and  shades 
and  every  nationality,  from  Europe,  China 
and  Africa,  mad  with  excitement,  strug- 
gled with  each  other  to  get  a  way.  Hun- 
dreds were  trampled  under  foot;  men  and 
women  were  loaded  with  bundles  and  their 
household  goods,  to  whose  skirts,  were 
clinging  tender  infants,  half-dressed  and 
barefooted,  all  seeking  a  place  of  safety. 
Hours  afterwards  these  might  have 
been  seen  in  vacant  lota  or  on  the  streets, 
far  out  in  the  suburbs,  stretched  in  tne 
dust. 

FIVE  HUNDRED  BURNED  TO  DEATH. 

It  is  fearful  to  think  or  the  loss  of  life. 
It  is  conjectured,  and  with  good  cause, 
that  near  rive  hundred  have  been  burned 
to  death.  We  saw  four  men  enter  a  burn- 
ing building,  and  in  a  moment  they  were 
overwhelmed  by  a  falling  wall.  There 
was  a  crowd  of  men  around  the  corner  of 
the  1 1 aiding,  trying  to  save  the  property, 
when,  the  wall  yielding,  some  of  them 
were  buried  beneath  it.  These  were  on  the 
South  side.  Ou  the  North  side  twelve  or 
fifteen  men,  women  and  children  rushed 
info  the  building  of  the  Historical  society, 
a  tire  proof  building,  for  safety.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  flames  burst  up  and  they  were 
burned  to  death. 


AN  ACCOUNT  BY  AN  EYE  WITNESS. 


The  following  eloquent  and  truthful  de- 
scription of  the  tire  was  furnished  by  a 
gentleman  who  participated  iu  the  work 
throughout.  No  one  bur, 

AN  EYK- WITNESS 

can  form  an  idea  of  the  fury  and  power  of 
the  fire  Mend,  as  he  reveled  among  the  pa- 
latial buildings  and  warehouses.  On  the 
south  side,  with  the  wind  blowing  a  hurri- 
cane, at  times  it  ««emed  but  the  work  of  a 
moment  for  the  fire  to  enter  the  south  ends 
of  the  buildings  fronting  on  Randolph, 
Lake  and  Water  streets,  and  reappear  at 
the  north  doors  and  windows,  belching 
forth  in  fierce  flames,  wbich  often  licked 
the  opposite  buildings  Then  tbe  flames, 
belching  from  the  buildings  tin  both  slues 
of  the  street,  would  unite  and  present 

A  SOLID  MASS  OF   FIRE, 

completely  tilling  the  street  from  Bide  to 
side,  and  shouting  upward  a  hundred  feet 
into  tbe  air.  Thus  was  street  after  street 
filled  with  flame  and  fire,  and  the  exulta- 
tion of  the  fire  fiend  was  given  vent  in  a 


roar  which  can  oaly  be  likened  to  the  noise 
of  the  ocean  when  its  waters  are  driven  by 
the  tempest  upon  a  rooky-  beach;  com- 
bined with  the  howl  of  the  blast. 

nCOE  WALLS  WOULD  TOPPLE 

and  fall  into  the  sea  of  flame  without  ap- 
parently giTing  a  sound,  as  the  roar  ef  the 
fiery  element  was  so  great  that  all  minor 
sounds  were  swallowed  up,  and  the  fall  of 
walls  was  only  perceptible  to  the  eye  and 
not  to  the  ear.  If  our  readers  will  call  to 
their  minds  the  fiercest  snow  storm  in 
their  experience,  and  Imagine  the  snow  to 
be  fire,  as  it  surged  hither  and  thither  be- 
fore the  fury  of  the  storm,  they  will  be 
able  to  form  a  faint  conception  of  the 
scene  as  the  flames  raged  through  the 
streets  of  our  doomed  city.  Many  of  the 
buildings  situated  along  South  Water 
street  burled  their  red  hot  rear  walls  In 
the  waters  of  the  river  into  which  they 

PLUNGED  WITH  A  HU»8 

like  unto  nothing  earthly,  throwing  up  a 
billow  which  would  gradually  subside  un- 
til other  walls  would  follow.  The  heat 
was  so  intense  at  times  from  some  of  the 
burning  buildings  tn»t  they  could  not  be 
approached  within  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  which  accounts  for  the  manner  in 
which  the  fir*  worked  back  often  against 
the  wind.  The  fire,  after  reaching  the 
business  pare  of  Randolph  and  South  Wa- 
ter streets,  leaped  the  river  on  to  the 
North  side  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time,  and  thence,  among  the  wooden  build- 
ings on  that  side,  it  reached  the  lake  shore, 
after  touching  block  after  black  of  happy 
dwellings  with  its  fierce  blast.  A  scene  of 
more 

POWERLESS  EFFORT 

to  fight  an  enemy  was  never  presented 
than  this.  The  people  tried  to  combat  the 
tire,  but  the  combat  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion, and  they  bowed  their  heads  in  an- 
guish of  spirit,  and  suffered  the  fiend  to 
have  untrammeled  sway,  and  well  and 
thoroughly  has  he  done  his  work.  As 
there  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  civilized 
nations  that  chronicles  any  effects  to 
which  this  can  be  compared,  so  in  all  fu- 
ture time 

THE  GREAT  CHICAGO  FIRE, 

when  mentioned,  will  bring  a  pang  of  an- 
guish to  the  listeners  of  future  genera- 
tions. Ic  will  be  a  simile  of  everything 
that  is  fearful  and  terrible.  While  there 
are  a  great  many  instances  of  generous 
devotion  on  the  part  of  rich  and  poor  in 
dividing  with  the  destitute,  there  are  pain- 
ful 

ilWTANCES  OF  CUPIDITY  AND    SELFISHNESS. 

One  was  trj  mg  to  remove  valuable  papers 
from  an  office,  and  asked  two  firemen  to 
help  him.  which  they  refused  unless  he 
paid  them  fifty  dollars.  The  papers  were 
destroyed.  Drivers  of  express  wagons 
have  taken  one  hundred,  and  even  five 
hundred  dollars  for  an  hoar's  use  of  their 
vehicles  from  distressed  people.  Among 
the  sad  accompaniment*  of  the  calamity 
were  to  be  seen  hundreds  of  men  and  boys 

BEASTLY  INTOXICATED 

.around  the  streets.  The  Nona  division, 
where  the  saloon  keepers  stock  was  turned 
into  the  street,  furnished  a  convenient  op- 
portunity for  the  gratification  of  such  pro- 
pensities, and  there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt 
that  many  of  tneee  poor  wretches  found 


their  deaths  in  the  flames,  from  which  they 
were  too  helpless  to  escape. 

A  MISERABLE   DEATH. 

One  poor  man  had  crawled  for  refuge  in- 
to a  water  main,  lying  in  the  street  near 
the  waterworks,  but  the  flre  fiend  found 
him  even  there,  before  he  could  get  hi* 
body  wholly  In  safety  and  robbed  nim  of 
his  life 

THE  ENTIRE  NORTH  DIVISION 

is  swept  clean  from  Chicago  river  to 
Wright's  grove,  a  distance  of  more  than 
three  miles,  but  one  house,  that  of  Mahlou 
D.  Ogden,  formerly  the  Hon.  Win.  B.  Og- 
den's,  remains  standing  iu  the  entire  dis 
triot.  A  large  portion  of  the  population, 
driven  from  this  desolated  ground,  are  en- 
camped on  the  prairie  to  the  north,  where 
they  have  nothing  but  the  canopy  of  heav- 
en to  cover  them,  and  scarcely  sufficient 
food  to  satisfy  their  hanger. 

THE  LANDSCAPE. 

Singly  or  in  clusters  are  the  ruins  of 
many  churches  looming  against  the  sky. 
among  the  most  noticeable  of  which  are 
the  North  Presbvterian,  Episcopalian,  cor- 
ner of  Cass  and  Superior  streets,  tne  Ger- 
man Lutheran,  Robert  Collyer's  church  of 
the  Unlt>,  the  New  England  Congregation- 
al, the  German  Reform,  St.  Joseph's  and 
St.  Michael's  (Catholic),  and  others.  The 
ruins  of  Sand's,  Lill's,  Henck's,  and  Bosh 
&  Brand's  breweries  are  also  prominent 
features.  Towards  the  northeast,  the  wa- 
terworks tower  lifts  its  beautiful  propor- 
tions uninjured  to  the  sky,  bat 

THE  WATERWORKS. 

immediately  to  the  east  of  it,  and  hun- 
dreds of  feet  from  other  buildings,  is  a 
complete  wreck,  the  engines  and  mas- 
sive machinery  within  presenting  a 
scene  of  utter  destruction  and  desolation. 
Near  the  junction  of  the  north  and  south 
branches  of  the  river  were 

FOUR  IMMENSE  ELEVATORS, 

which  succumbed  to  the  flames  about  10 
o'clock  on  Monday  morning,  and  are  heaps 
of  burning  grain  and  timber.  Near  Rush 
street  bridge,  on  the  North  side,  the  Gale- 
na elevator  is  but  a  mass  of  smouldering 
ruin.  McCormick's  Reaper  works,  to  the 
east,  and  the  sugar  refinery  beyond,  have 
also  been  swept  away. 

A  CEMETERY  INVADED 

The  fire  even  entered  the  old  cemetery 
at  North  avenne,  and  licked  up  the  trees 
and  shrubbery,  cracking  and  destroying 
the  tombstones  in  its  way. 

THE  MOST  REMARKABLE  FEATURE 

of  all,  is  the  fact  that  the  brick  of  build- 
ings was  burnt  to  ashes  the  same  as  If 
wood,  so  that  for  the  most  part  the  rubbish 
does  not  present  a  formidable  appearance, 
there  being  but  here  and  there  a  projection 
of  wall.  Hundreds  of  acres  are  almost  as 
clean  as  nicely  cleared  fields  Stone  work, 
both  sand  and  limestone,  melted  down,  for 
the  most  part,  into  one  disintegrated  mass. 


THE  ST.  LOUIS  TIMES'  SPECIAL 
TELEGRAPHIC  ACCOUNT. 


TUB  ORIGIN  OF  THE  GREAT  FIRE. 

The  fire  on  Saturday  evening,  as  has 
been  already  stated,  occurred  in  the  plan- 
ing mill  on  the  corner  of  Ualstead  and  Ca- 
nal streets.  It  spread  with  alarming  ra- 


pidity,  and  before  it  wu  subdued  bad 
swept  away  a  large  portiou  of  South  Chi- 
cago. Tbe  damage,  however,  was  compar- 
atively within  bounds,  most  of  the  build- 
ings deetrojed  being  frame  and  of  email 
sise. 

THE  GREAT  FIRE. 

The  origin  of  the  Sunday  night  fire  lias 
already  been  stated.  It  was  occasioned 
by  the  explosion  of  a  kerosene  lamp  in  a 
barn  near  DeKoven  street.  The  tUnies  at 
onoe  enveloped  the  stable  and  spread 
to  adjoining  wooden  buildings, which  were 
soon  in  a  blaze.  A  strong  wind  prevailed 
at  the  time,  and  all  efforts  to  subdue  the 
lire  were  unavailing.  In  a  few  minutes 
it  had  reached  a  large  rooting  establish- 
ment, where  over  1000  barrels  of  tar  were 
Mtored,  and  this  it  was  which  gave  it  its 
fearful  velocity.  The  conflagration  be- 
came general  and  roared  like  a  vast  fur- 
nace. Iron  buildings,  which  were  suppos- 
ed to  be  fire  proof,  melted  down  in  a  few 
minutes,  and  solid  stone  chnrches  s-ink  be- 
fore it  as  it  blown  up  by  powder.  I 
counted 

TWENTY-NINE  RUINS  OF    CHURCH  K8, 

many  of  them  as  fine  structures  as  any  In 
the  country,  and  which  cost  not  less  on  an 
average  than  975,000  each.  A  few  bare 
walls  onlyare  lelt  TO  tell  the  story  of  their 
former  grandeur.  Laavlng  the  corner  of 
Congress  street  and  Michigan  avenue,  and 
driving  along  the  lake  and  through  the  up 
per  portion  of  the  oit  *  to  Lincoln  park,  for 
five  miles,  the  eye  rests  upon  nothing  but 
a  shapeless  mass  of  wreck  and  ruin.  The 
great  cathedral,  the  bishop's  man- 
sion, Potter  Palmer's  hotel  pal- 
ace, hundreds  of  elegant  and  expensive 
stores  and  dwellings  all  fell  before  the 
flame  storm,  which  consumed  in  twen- 
ty-four hours  five  hundred  millions  of  dol- 
lars worth  of  property. 

A  8HJOCLAR  CIRCCM8TAKCE 

is  the  entire  absence  of  rubbish  aside  from 
the  walls  left  standing.  Scarcely  a  stone 
or  brick  or  a  scrap  of  iron  can  be  seen  on 
the  ground.  It  is  all  reduced  to  powder. 

The  fire  passed  by  and  around  the  water 
tower  fronting  the  avenue,  without  even 
shattering  a  pai.e  of  glass,  and  attacked 
the  rear  building,  burning  out  all  the  wood 
works  and  injuring  the  engines  so  as  to 
render  them  powerless.  This  cut  off  the 
supply  of  water,  and  left  the  great  city  en- 
tirely at  the  mercy  of  the  merciless  fiend. 

TIIK  HEAVIEST  SUFFERERS. 

I  had  a  lengthy  conversation  with 
M.  D.  Ogden,  £sq  ,  the  largest  lumber 
dealer  m  the  West.  His  residence  alone 
escaped,  and  now  stands  solitary  and 
alone  in  a  wilderness  of  desolation,  cover- 
ing an  area  three  miles  long  by  one  mile 
wide.  It  is  a  double  frame  structure,  two 
Btories  high,  with  a  Mansard  rowf,  and  es- 
caped without  being  even  scorched.  The 
flames  came  sweeping  down  Dearborn 
street,  leaving  scarcely  one  stone  upon 
another,  and  was  caught  by  a  counter  cur- 
rent of  wind  just  at  bis  house,  and  chang- 
ing its  course,  shot  in  another  direction, 
leaving  naught  m  iu»  wake  but  wreck  and 
ruin.  In  other  portions  of  the  city  Mr. 
Ogden  was  less  fortunate.  His  vast  lum- 
ber yards  were  swept  away,  including 
three  and  a  half  million  feet  of  pine  and 
other  lumber,  and  entailing  upon  him  a 
loss  of  fully  two  millions  of  dollars. 


A  SAD  SCEXK 

His  nephew,  Wm.  Jones,  is  among  the 
many  victims  who  were  devoured  by  the 
flame*.  He  removed  his  family  from  his 
residence,  and  had  parted  with  his  wife 
but  a  few  moments,  when  his  horse  and 
buggy  were  seen  dashing  along  the  streets, 
and  it  is  prerUtnert  that  the  young  man 
was  thrown  out  and  burnt  before  he  could 
escape.  To  add  to  his  losses,  Mr.  Ogden 
received  a  telegram  yesterday  announcing 
that  his  lumber  mills  at  Pestigo,  on  Green 
Bay,  Wisconsin,  had  been  destroyed, 
together  with  the  town,  buruing 
alive  thirty  souls,  including  his  partner, 
•wife  and  three  children,  his  nephew  and 
wife  and  his  superintendent  and  family  of 
three.  The  dispatch  added:  "  The  woods 
are  all  ablaze  and  we  fear  your  piuery 
will  be  destroyed."  Mr.  Ogden  bore  up 
bravely  under  this  scries  of  appalling  dis- 
asters, merely  remarking.  "If  this  be  true. 
T  shall  lose  13,000,000  moie  and  ba  a  ruined 
man."  This  is  but  one  of  the  many  terri- 
ble stories  I  hear  hourly. 

VOTTEK  PALMER'S  LOSSES 

are  immense.  Two  miles  of  magnificent 
stores  on  State  street  are  in  ruins  and  his 
grand  hotel,  tbe  Pacific  house,  is  gone. 
He  had  invested  millions  of  dollars  in 
building  up  Chicago,  and  to  do  this  had 
mortgaged  heavily  the  larger  part  of  his 
improved  property.  It  was  but  a  short 
tiine  before  the  fire,  that  he  secured  a  loan 
of  $650,000  at  7  3  10  per  cent,  and  he  has 
nothing  left  to  meet  his  heavy  loans  hut 
barren  lots  and  what  little  improved 
property  may  have  been  spared  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  city,  eutirely  inade- 
quate to  make  him  whole.  He  was  largely 
insured  in  home  companies,  most  of  which 
are  bankrupt  and  unable  to  meet  their 
losses. 

THE  GRAIN  BONFIRE. 

The  elevators,  which  completely  envi- 
roned the  city,  and  which  contributed 
largely  to  the  trade  of  Chicago,  were  swept 
away  in  a  few  moments.  There  are  bin 
four  left  standing,  two  owned  by  Muan  & 
Soott,  one  by  Flint  &  Thompson,  and  the 
Central  elevator  on  tho  lake.  Three  mil- 
lion bushels  of  grain  are  still  burning, 
making  monstrous  bonfires,  which,  with 
tbe  acres  of  coal  on  fire,  cast  a  dismal 
glare  over  the  ruins  at  night,  and  present 
a  heart  sickening  spectacle. 

THK  LOSS  OF  LIFE 

cannot  at  present  be  computed,  but  it  has 
doubtless  been  fearful.  Already  over  a 
hundred  charred  bodies  have  been  dug 
from  the  ruins,  and  hundreds  of  frantic 
persons  are  scouring  the  city  in  search  of 
their  loved  ones,  who  have  been  missing 
since  Sunday.  An  old  French  woman,  who 
barely  escaped  with  her  life,  told  me  to- 
day that  she  counted  no  less  than  forty 
persons,  men,  women  and  children,  in  the 
river  at  one  time,  all  of  whom  met  a  wa- 
tery grave. 

A  FEARFUL  REPORT. 

The  servants  at  the  Tremont  house  were 
in  the  top  story  of  the  hotel  at  the  time  of 
its  conflagration,  and  as  none  of  them  havu 
been  seen  since,  it  is  feared  that  they  were 
burned  to  death.  There  were  about  forty 
of  them. 

WHAT  IB  LEFT  OF  THB  CITT. 

The  entire  business  portion  of  the  city  is 
deetrojed.  Tte  pride  of  Chicago,  State 


street,  with  its  large  atone  rows,  Randolph. 
Madison.  Monroe  and  Washington  streets, 
with  their  jcranrt  hotels,  massive  insurance 
and  baukiug  establishments  and  wholesale 
houses,  are  laid   In    ashes.    The  West  side 
stands  as  before,  bur,  with  f«w  exceptions, 
contains   nothing    but    frame     buildings. 
Portions  of  Wabash  and  Michigan  avennes 
and  the  North  end  remain, •with  some  hand- 
some residences,  but  the  valuable  and  ele- 
gant portions  of  the  cicy  are  a  mass  of 
•mouldering   ruins.     The   postofflce    and 
custom  house  suffered  less    from  the  con- 
flagration perhaps  than  most  of  tb«  build- 
iogs.        Everything     of      an      inflamma- 
ble      nature       was        consumed,       but 
the  walls   are  Intaot   and  the  e dittoes  can 
easily    be  rebuilt.    The  same   is   true  in 
part  of  the  Tribune  building.    Its  exterior 
is    nearly    Intaor,  bur  it   is   otherwise   iu 
ruins.    It  is  stated  to  day  that  the  four  and 
MIX   cylinder  presses   are   but  slightly   in- 
jured, and  can   be  put  in  running  order  in 
a  few  day  s.    The  Trem  »nt  house.  Revere 
house,  Pacific   house,  Dunlap  house.   Mas- 
sasoH    bouse  aud  other  hotels  destroyed, 
and  board  of  trade  building  were  literally 
razed  to  the  ground.    The  only  prominent 
buildings  remaining  are  the  Michigan  Ave- 
nue hotel,  L%c1e.de   hotel,  Denison   house, 
Heeney   &  Campbell's  planing  mill,  the 
Vulcan     Iton     works,     Keboe's     blocks, 
Hoerber'8  block,  the   convent,  St.   John's 
Congregational  church,  the  Park  Congre- 
gational church.    Turner  hall,  Salem    Ger- 
man   Lutheran    church.  Jesuit   cathedral, 
coileg*  and  school  house,  three  elevators, 
the  railroad  machine  shops  and  car  works 
and  Burlington  hall 

A  HEART  BENDTCG  SCENE. 

I  went  out  yesterday  to  the  prairie, 
where  the  houseless  sod  homeless  suffer- 
ers toek  shelter,  and  I  never  before  wit- 
nessed snch  a  heart  rending  spectacle. 
Bpread  out  upon  the  ground  were  some  sev- 
enty-fire thousand  persons,  most  of  them 
without  a  blanket  to  cover  them,  and  all 
suffering  from  cold  and  neglect.  They  in- 
formed tun  that  their  sufferings  had  been  in- 
tense, and  that  during  th«  night  over  a 
doten  ol  tteir  number  had  died.  One  poor 
woman  waa  vainly  striving  to  give  nour- 
ishment to  an  infant  about  four  weeks  old, 
whl  e  by  her  side  lay  the  dead  body  of  a 
little  girl  of  three  jesrs  They  are  being 
conveyed  to  the  city  and  afforded  shelter, 
raiment  and  food  as  rapid'y  aa  possible. 
GAS  A»D  WATER. 

A  portion  or  i  bn  city  h*«  been  in  dark- 
n*-**  tore*-  days,  owing  t"  thn  destruction 
of  the  gas  workn  in  the  east  and  sooth  por- 
tions of  the  city.  The  western  works 
»r«j  the  proprity  uf  C.  K.  Garrison,  Esq..  of 
New  York,  and  a  brotner  of  the  St.  Louis 
raraily  of  Garruon*.  Pipes  are  now  beiu* 
Laid  through  the  tunnel  u>  couueoi  the  east 
fad,  an»i  gas  will  be  turned  on  in  a  few 
dajs  Them  being  but  one  residence  ou 
the  South  side,  it  ia  not  probable  that  lhe*e 
works  will  be  rebuilt  for  some  time  to 
come. 

Labor  will  be  speedily  commenced  on 
the  waterworks,  au<i  it  i*  expectea  that  tne 
engines  will  be  in  running  orCer  in  a  few 
weeks  Meantime,  trie  tire  engines  »re 
being  emplo>ed  in  forcing  water  into  ihn 
pipes  for  d*ily  rousuiup'lou,  aud  ft eble 
streams  art>  ruuntog  in  uiutit  parts  ot  the 
(turned  d'.atriut 


THH  XBWSPAl-KHS  TO  GO  OU. 

The  Journal,  Mail  and  Tribune  have  ap- 
peared, in  abb  eviated  form.  They  are 
oeing  published  at  Edwards'  printing 
house  until  new  buildiogs  can  be  erected. 
The  Times  will  b«  out  in  its  ususal  drees 
and  slzd  a«  coon  as  tne  type  can  be  shipped 
from  the  Bust. 

HOW  CHICAGO ANS  TREAT  THB  MATTER. 

Routs  have  advanced  enormously  on  all 
empty  and  tenautabie  houses,  the  owners 
being  quick  to  t«ke  advantage  of  the  ter- 
rible situation.  I  was  shown  a  small  six- 
room  dwelling  u>  day,  for  which  975  a 
mouth  is  demanded,  that  could  have  been 
rented  at  $12  six  days  ago.  The  same 
spirit  is  manifested  b>  dealers  generally, 
exorbitaut  prices  being  demanded  far  all 
the  necessaries  ef  life  The  few  hotels 
left  standing  are  asking  $8  per  day.  and  in- 
ferior accommodations  at  tnat.  This  la  all 
wrong,  aud  IA  loudly  condemned  by  the 
better  class  of  citizens,  who  lastly  think 
that  ''charity  should  begiu  at  home  " 

THE  WORK  OF  RECONSTRUCTION. 

Despite  the  terrible  condition  ot  affairs, 
which  has  swept  away  in  a  few  brief  hours 
the  fortunes  of  half  the  community,  there 
is  a  fixed  determination  on  the  part  of 
most  of  them  to  tight  over  the  battle  of 
life  on  the  old  stamping  ground.  Space 
has  been  obtained  on  the  Michigan  avenue 
ctiiimons  for  business  firms,  who  are  baay 
erecting  small  frame  offices,  and  from  al- 
most every  private  residence  may  be  seen 
the  signs  of  well-known  wholesale  and  re- 
tail dealers. 

A  few  of  the  more  enthusiastic  talk  of 
making  Chicago  more  formidable  than 
ever  in  five  yean.  The  railroad  managers 
have  agreed  to  furnish  their  full  chare  of 
means,  and  Boston  and  New  York  capital- 
ists have  telegraphed  that  they  will  ad- 
vance. |5,ooo,ooo  if  necessary.  This  will  go 
greatly  towards  repairing  the  injury,  but 
u  far  abort  of  tsOO.ott.ooO,  th«  aggregate 
loss.  

THE    NEW    YORK     TKlBUXE'g    SPK- 
ClAL    TELEGRAPHIC     ACCOUNT. 


I  have  just  returned  from  the 
ghaatlieat  promenade  ever  seen  IB 
the  world.  From  Congress  street  to 
Lincoln  park,  and  beyoiid  to  Wnght'a 
grove,  four  miles  of  what  waa  last 
week  the  business  and  most  vigorous 
city  of  the  West  is  now  one 

WIDE  SPREAD  DESOLATION, 

marked  by  rc>>rvberl  and  calcined  ohim- 
Lnyp,  by  mounds  of  glowing  brick  and 
stone,  ail  covered  like  a  wintry  piain  with 
a  fail  of  whitening  a*he«.  The  vaatneaa 
and  uionoto  >  of  the  view  ia  as  weaiisome 
and  Oepreiteing  as  that  of 

THE    DESERT. 

Formerly  every  quarter  of  the  city  had 
itu  distinctive  character,  and  aloug  the 
banks  of  Like  Michigan  to  the  south  ot 
the  river,  rose  the  staieiv  mansions  of  the 
men  whose  energy  aud  industry  made 
Chicago  what  it  waa  Few  streets  in  any 
cuy  could  present  so  uniform  a  display  of 
wealth  and  ta«te  in  their  residences  a« 
Wabaah  and  Michigan  avenues.  Ia  (he 
sp*oe  bounded  on  tbr«e  sides  by  the  lake 
and  the  Cnlc »go  river,  and  on  the  south  by 
VanBuren  street,  there  were  embraced 
some  of  the  finest  busineaa  houses  on  the 


continent,  and  a  higher  average  of  beauti- 
ful and 

COSTLY    ARCHITECTUKB 

than  had  ever  been  applied  in  the  world  to 
purpoees  of  trade.  Along  the  river,  on 
•ither  side,  the  tall,  ungainly  terms  of  the 
elevators,  the 

MONSTROUS  GROWTH 

of  the  commerce  of  the  Northwest  mirror- 
ed their  awkward  angles  in  the  turbid  wa- 
ters. 

IN  THE  NORTH   DIVISION 

the  ground  to  the  west,  occupied  by  large 
manufacturing  establishments,  and  to  the 
east  by  the  modest  and  tasteful  houses  of 
the  trading  classes— all  this  variety  and 
distinction  have  been  obliterated  in  a  day 
by  the 

LEVELING  HAND 

of  the  conflagration.  The  loveliest  garden 
on  the  avenue,  •which  was  just  below  ray 
window,  is  as  squalid  and  miserable  with 
the  wild  trampling  of  the  hoofs  of  this 
disaster  as  any  back-yard  of  a  soap  boiler 
on  Canal  street.  The  wretched  tenement 
houses  which  shelter  the  laboring  poor 
are  nowjclean  and 

WHITE  IN  THEIB  ASHES 

and  their  chimneys  form  a  shapeless 
monument;  there  is  equality  at  least  be- 
tween a  hovel  and  palace  in  their 

SHROUDS   OF    DESOLATION. 

What  most  impresses  one  in  the  aspect 
of  the  burnt  district,  is  its  utter  loneli- 
ness, the  debris  which  encumbered 
the  streets  the  day  after  the 
lire  has  in  a  great  measure 
been  cleared  away.  The  sidewalks  are 
somewhat  littered  still  by  the  ruins,  but 
circulation  is  perfectly  free  throughout  the 
quarter.  In  the  center  of  the  city,  there  is 
a  certain  number  of 

CURIOUS  SPECTATORS 

lounging  and  chatting  among  the  ragged 
and  tottering  walls. 

The  hotels  have  migrated  also,  carrying 
their  names  and  their  traditions  with  them. 
The  great  business  houses  (are  crowding 
relics  of  their  stock  into  shops  that  burst 
with  richness,  and  far  down  Michigan  ave- 
nue, in  that  safe  stretch  of  lake  side  that 
lies  beyond  Michigan  terrace,  the  last  and 
loveliest  sacrifice  to  the  flames,  you  see 
the  names  of  banks  and  insurance  compa- 
nies hastily 

SCRAWLED  «N  TIN  SHINGLES 

and  hung  at  the  doors  of  decorous  pri- 
vate houses  on  the  low  sand  beach  that 
lies  below  Michigan  avenue.  They  have 
projected  a  line  of  temporary  business 
houses,  and  the  first  of  them  went  up  all 
at  once,  and  as  quickly  as  a  bouse  of  cards 
under  my  window  this  evening.  A  dozen 
will  probably  be  built  tomorrow.  There 
eeeus  to  be 

NO  BRAVADO, 

no  ostentations  pluck  and  audacity,  but  a 
resolute,  manly  determination  to  make  the 
most  of  a  bad  situation. 

These  superb  merchants  and  business 
men  do  not  seem  to  think  there  is  any- 
thing fine  in  their  attitude,  but  the  world 
will  certaintly  not  deny  them  its  hearty 
admiration.  The  city  is 

ORDERLY  AND  TRANQUIL, 

the  hungry  are  fed  and  the  naked  are 
clothed.  The  churches  and  the  public 
buildings  of  the  West  side  give  shelter  to 
the  homeless.  The  railway  a  convey  to 


their  friends  all  who  desire  to  go .  The  best 
people  devoutly  trust  that  th  e  term  of 
severest  stress  and  panic  is  over. 

THE  CHICAGO  KVENENG  JOURNAL'S 
ACCOUNT. 


The  Chicago  Evening  Journal  of  Tues- 
day, October  loth,  tha  first  paper  of  that 
city  to  make  its  appearance  after  the  gen- 
eral destruction  of  the  newspaper  press, 
contained  the  following  items  of  interests 
relative  to  the  great  fire: 
THE  RUIN. 

The  great  fire  of  Chicago  laid  waste  over 
1800  acres,  upwards  of  18,000  buildings  and 
rendered  about  85,000  persons  homeless. 

As  to  pecuniary  loss  no  fire  which  ever 
occurred  In  the  world  has  been  attended 
with  that  suffered  by  Chicago,  as  in  no 
city  was  there  such  an  amount  of  valuable 
merchandise,  or  so  many  expensive  build- 
ings destroyed.  Most  of  our  merchants 
had  received  their  winter  stocks  of  goods, 
none  of  which  they  were  able  to  save.  The 
loss  in  merchandise  alone  at  this  last  great 
conflagration  will  be  double  that  suffered 
by  London  and  Moscow  combined. 

But  the  great  heart  of  Chicago  is  not 
broken,  nor  her  spirit  of  enterprise 
crushed.  She  will  arise  from  her  ashes, 
with  an  energy  that  will  eclipse  all  her 
former  efforts,  and  speedily  regain  her  for- 
mer position. 

GENERAL  APPEARANCE. 

One  thing  particularly  strikes  the  pas- 
sengers through  all  the  streets — the  ab- 
sence of  everything  of  a  combustible  na- 
ture. Brick,  stone  and  iron  abound,  and 
make  up  whatever  is  left  of  the  most 
magnificent  and  costly  structures. 
Dirt,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of 
the  term,  has  vanished;  all  is 
clean,  but  oh  how  desolate.  Another  thing 
is  the  uniformity  of  the  destruction.  The 
marble  palaces  and  cheaper  brick  and  mor- 
tar blocks  lie  in  common  disorder.  There 
is  no  distinction,  except  in  the  presence  ol 
iron  pillars,  and  marble  door  and  window 
ornaments. 

WHAT  IS  LEFT. 

The  only  buildings  left  intact  between 
the  river  and  the  lake  and  the  river  and 
Madison  street  are  Hathaway's  coal  office, 
one  of  the  Buckingham  elevators  on  the 
lake  shore,  and  the  Lind  block,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Randolph  and  Market.  Not  a  ves- 
t'ge  of  any  wooden  structure  is  left  in 
sight,  ana  the  walls  of  the  majority  of  the 
buildings  in  the  district  described  are  lev- 
eled with  the  ground.  In  some  instances, 
partition  walls  have  not  altogether  fallen, 
but  rear  their  pointed  heads  high  above 
the  surrounding  ruins. 

THE  COURT  HOUSE. 

Bleak,  smoked,  hollow  and  desolate,  up- 
on the  scene,  rear  the  walla  of  the  court 
house — scene  of  many  a  distressing  and 
exciting  trial  of  local  legislation  and  pub- 
ic business.  Not  only  have  the  roofs 
"buckled"  but  the  entire  structure  looms 
np  from  where  we  write,  a  ruined  monu- 
ment of  departed  greatness.  The  old  fence 
remains  with  the  tessellated  pavements, 
but  the  glory  of  the  tribunals  and  the 
council  chamber  are  things  of  the  past. 


LAKE  STREET. 

From  the  Tremont  to  the  great  Union 
depot  is  not  far,  but  its  wealth  of  mer- 
chandise and  stately  edifices  were  known 
far  and  near  throughout  the  West,  but  the 
eye  dims  and  the  pulse  goes  slow  when  the 
ruin  of  this  noble  mart  meets  the  sight. 

SOUTH  BIDE. 

The  scene  in  this  section  of  the  city  is 
too  appalling  to  be  dwelt  upon  with  other 
words  than  those  which  will  in  the  most 
adequate  manner  convey  an  idea  of  the 
reality,  which  seeius  beyond  the  power  of 
tongue  or  pen  to  relate.  The  streets  that 
are  burnt  over  are  Madison,  Monroe, 
Adams,  Jackson,  Van  Buren,  Congress.and 
Michigan  avenue,  where  it  was  checked, 
the  Michigan  avenue  hotel  being  saved. 
On  W abash  it  burned  through  to  Harrison 
street.  The  last  house  burned  on  the  east 
oirte  of  Wabaeh  avenue.  On  the  west  fide. 
Dr.  McChesney's  (the  Wabash  avenue 
Methodist)  church  was  not  burned  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Harrision  and  Wabash 
avenue.  On  State  street,  356  was  the  last 
number  burned.  This  was  the  south  limit 
HO  far  west  as  the  track  of  the  Michigan 
Southern  railroad  track.  The  long  freight 
houses  (in  and  out  freight)  were  burned 
with  all  their  contents;  cars  and  every- 
thing as  far  south  as  Taylor,  aad  west  of 
the  east  track.  Taylor  street,  the  north 
limit  of  a  great  lumber  district,  was  not 
crossed  to  the  south.  Thus,  in  short,  there 
is  only  one  building  within  the  limits 
above  described  which  is  not  burned 
to  ashep,  and  this  seems  to 
have  teuaped  through  a  mira- 
cle—it is  numbered  91  to  99  Harrison 
street,  on  the  corner  of  North  avenue.  The 
streets  which  run  north  and  south  are 
Michigan  avenue  Wabash  avenue.  State, 
Dearborn,  Clark,  LaSalle,  Wells.  Sherman, 
Griawold  and  Market  streets.  This  section 
of  the  city  contained  the  glory  of 
our  architecture,  and  the  palatial  resi- 
dences of  some  of  our  most  wealthy 
citizens.  The  names  of  individual  owners 
cannot  b<)  given,  but  the  prominent 
business  structures  were  the  depot  of 
the  Lake  Shore,  and  Chicago,  and  Rock 
Island  and  Pacific  railroad,  on  Van  Buren. 
from  Sherman  to  Griswold,  and  south  to 
Harrison;  the  Pacific  hotel,  which  was 
ready  for  the  roof,  and  occupied  a  block; 
the  custom  house,  which  is  gutted,  the 
heavy  whitened  walls  alone  standing; 
Honore's  blocks,  finished  and _ unfinished, 
on  Dearborn,  from  Monroe  to  Adam's;  the 
Tribune  building,  the  Times  office, 
the  Post  building,  the  office  of  the  Staiitu 
Zeitung  and  numerous  publications.  The 
Hlegaut  structure  known  as  the  Lake  Side 
Press  building,  on  Clark,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  association  library,  the  Republic 
Insurant's  building,  Far  well  ball.  Mc- 
Vicker's  theater,  th«  Clifton  house, 
the  academy  of  Design,  Conn  & 
Ten  Broeck's  Manufacturing  company's 
building,  on  Adams  street;  the  Palmer 
house.  St.  Mary's,  8t.  Paul's  Catholic 
church,  Universalist,  Second  Presbyterian, 
Trinity  Episcopal  church.  First  Presbyte- 
rian church,  Michigan  avenue,  Terrace 
ri>w,  the  Chicago  cluh,  Potter  Palmer's  new 
hotel,  unfinished,  Robert  Law's  coal 
yard,  Rogers  &  Co. '8  coal  yard,  the 
largest  firms  of  the  city,  the  Jewish 
pynagogue,northeast  corner  of  Fourth  ave- 


nue and  Harrison  street*,  the  New  Club 
on  Harrison  and  State,  the  Bigelow  house, 
on  Dearborn  and  Adams,  which  would 
have  been  opened  this  week.  All  of 
the  Bridges  over  the  river  from  Madison 
to  Twelfth  streets  are  burned.  On  the 
West  Side  the  ravages  were  dire,  sweeping 
away  the  great  manufactories  and  mills 
and  the  elevators  of  that  section  lying 
were  burned,  together  with  two  large  ioe 
houses;  section  C  of  the  warehouses  alone 
being  saved.  The  apex  of  the  field  of 
desolation,  which  is  an  horizontal  cone,  is 
at  the  corner  of  DeKoven  and  Jefferson 
street,  and  from  there  the  burnt  track 
sweeps  northeast,  widening  and  widen- 
ing for  a  distance  of  some  five  miles, 
while  the  distance  to  the  lake  Is  almost 
between  Jefferson  and  the  river  east  and 
west,  and  Van  Buren  and  DeKoven,  the 
first  street  north  of  Twelfth,  north 
and  south,  and  from  any  point 
can  be  seen  a  dozen  or  more  tall  chimneys 
marking  the  site  of  as  many  enormous 
manufacturing  buildings.  None  of  them 
can  1)6  named  accurately.  The  Chicago 
Dock  company '«  ware  house,  on  Taylor 
street,  and  the  Pittsburgh  and  Fort  Wayne 
railroad. 

BANK  VAULTS. 

One  of  our  reporters  made  the  tour  of  the 
banks  (that  were)  this  morning.  The  indi- 
cations were  that  all  the  vaults  were  safe. 
The  currency  and  securities,  which  could 
not  be  replaced  ( not  counting  the  United 
States  bonds,  which  could  be)  locked  in 
those  vaults  must  be  several  hundred  mil- 
lions. 

At  this  writing,  only  one  vault  has  been 
opened,  that  of  the  Commercial  National. 
Everything  was  found  in  a  perfect  state  of 
preservation.  There  were  all  sorts  of 
wild  rumors  afloat  about  the  total  destruc- 
tion of  this  and  that  bank,  including 
vaults  and  safes.  Many  safes  may  be  seen 
among  the  debris  of  the  burnt  district,  ap- 
parently in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 

REAL  ESTATE  TITLES. 

All  the  records  of  deeds  and  mortgages 
are  destroyed.  This  includes  all  the  real 
estate,  not  only  in  Chicago,  but  in  Cook 
county, with  its  numerous  suburban  towns. 
Fortunately  the  abstracts  of  titles  in  the 
office  or  Shortall  &  Hoard,  conveyancers, 
are  known  to  be  safe. 

A  leading  member  of  the  Chicago  bar 
gives  it  as  nis  opinion  that  the  title  to  all 
the  property  in  the  county  can  here-estab- 
lished by  means  of  these  abstracts.  The 
Legislature  will  probably  pass  some  enab- 
ling act  to  cover  the  case. 

As  to  the  value  of  real  estate,  it  is  now 
entirely  indeterminate,  because  it  is  im- 
possible to  divine  where  the  future  busi- 
ness center  will  be.  The  latter  will  de- 
pend upon  the  location  selected  by  the 
leading  business  houses,  which  are  already 
in  consultation. 

THE  FOUR  EXCEPTIONS. 

There  are  only  four  buildings  standing 
on  the  South  Side  below  VanBuren  street. 
Those  four  are  the  custom  house,  the  court 
house,  the  First  National  bank  building 
and  the  Tribune  building.  They  were 
all  completely  burned  out,  nothing  re- 
maining except  the  walls  and  parts  of  par- 
titions. We  doubt  if  any  of  them  can  ever 
be  used  again,  except  the  custom  house. 
Those  immense  walls  seem  to  have  stood 


Map  of  the  Great 


Thflblro't  Rhailin.tr  shows  the    extent  of  day  night  conflagration,  at  tbejnnc 

the  fire,  which  covers  an  area  of  a  mile  in  DeKoven  and  Jefferson  streets;  B  the  < 

width,  by  five  miles  in  length,  or  over  3000  house;  C,  the  postoffioe;   D,  the  II 

acres.    A  is  the  starting  point  of  the  Sun-  Central  railroad  depot;  E,  Board  of  1 


tire  in  Chicago. 


•mini 


building:  F,  G  and  J,  the  Mattepon,  Tre-  Central  renetvoir.    Of  that  portion  in  light 

reont  and  Sherman  hotels;  H,  the  Michigan  shade,  0017  »  part  Is  built  up.    Lincoln 

Southern  railroad  depot;  I,  the  St.  Louis,  park  joins  the  extreme  north,,  which,  waa 

Alton  and  Pittsburgh  depot,  and  K,  the  tbe  upper  limit  of  the  fire. 


10 


the  fire  teat  without  flinching.  The  mason- 
ry of  the  ether  three  has  been  very  ae- 
no'iely  impaired. 

BANKS. 

There  is  not  a  bank  left  in  all  Chicago, 
Hnleaa  it  be  sotuejlittle  house  remote  from 
what  was  the  center  of  business.  The  at- 
tnal  losses  of  the  bankers  cannot  be  com- 
puted, even  approximated,  in  any  one 
case.  One  thing  we  are  authorized  to  stat« 
positively.  The  banks  will  resume  regular 
business  in  a  few  days 

It  should  be  added  that  tbe  Union  Stock 
Yards  National  bank  is  tbe  <mly  national 
bank  now  in  working  order  in  Cook  coun- 
ty. The  Cook  County  National  bank  suf- 
fered less  than  any  other,  because  the 
fartheest  south  of  any.  It  was  located  in 
the  northern  corner  ef  the  Honore  block. 
The  Union  National  was  the  first  to  go,  al- 
though the  Northwestern  and  Cora  ex- 
change, located  in  the  chamber  of  com- 
merce, went  about  the  same  time.  Indeed, 
it  was  not  an  hour  after  those  on  the 
ground  thought  any  bank  in  danger,  before 
all,  unless  it  was  the  First  National  and  the 
Cook  County  National,  were  in  flame*. 
THE  JAIL. 

There  were  on  Sunday  evenicg  confined 
in  the  tail  about  ninety  prisoners,  all  of 
whom  were  given  free  exit  when  it  be- 
came apparent  that  the  court  house  would 
burn,  the  jail  doors  being  thrown  wide 
open  at  about  2  o'clock  yesterday 
morning-  All  of  the  prisoners  em- 
braced the  unexpected  opportunity  to 
escape,  and  immediately  left  for  various 
parts  of  iho  city  with  the  exception  of 
George  Dresser,  who  went  at  once  to  the 
West  Side  police  station  and  gave  himself 
up,  where  he  is  now  in  custody.  Mr.  Dress- 
er, it  will  be  remembered,  is  the  man  who 
recently,  while  acting  as  keeper  in  the 
Bridewell,  was  tbe  occasion  of  the  death 
of  a  prisoner  by  throwing  him  from  the 
earridor  into  the  yard. 

THE  COURTS. 

There  ia  not  a  law  office  nor  a  law  libra- 
ry left  in  Chicago,  except  the  few  small 
duplicate  libraries  at  the  residences  of  the 
leading  lawyers.  There  is  not  a  paper 
showing  that  there  is  a  suit  pending 
in  any  of  the  six  courts  of  rec- 
ord in  Cook  county,  including  the 
Federal  court.  There  is  not  an  in- 
dictment in  existence  in  th«  county 
against  any  one,  not  a  judgement,  not  a 
petition  in  bankruptcy  in  the  Federal 
courts.  Even  the  duplicate  tiles  that  thei 
lawyers  kept  in  their  offices  of  important 
cases  are  all  gone. 

FROM  ST.  LOUIS. 

And  now  conies  St.  Louis,  great  rival  of 
Chicago  in  enterprise  and  business,  and 
greater  than  Chicago  in  noble  generosity. 
$160,000  in  money  and  ten  oar  loads  of 
cooked  provisions  are  brought  here 
by  Mr.  Blow,  on  behalf  of*  that  city,  and 
ten  more  cars,  loaded  with  miscellaneous 
provisions  and  supplies,  are  reported 
trom  the  same  city.  If  Chicago  ever  has 
the  opportunity — which  may  heaven  for- 
bid—she will  prove  herself  a  worthy  rival, 
even  in  these  good  works. 

A  GLANCE  AT  THE  RUINS. 


The  Chicago  Evening  Journal  of  the  nth 


contained  the  following  philosophic   view 
of  the  ruins  of  the  great  fire.    It  says : 

Now  that  the  smoke  of  the  burned  dis- 
trict has  cleared  away  and  the  general 
confusion,  at  first  so  confounding,  has  very 
considerably  subsided,  we  are  able  to  take 
a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  general  loss,  which 
we  give  below : 

PCBLIC  HALLS  AND  BLOCKS,  ETC. 

Aiken's  museum,  Andrews'  building,  An- 
drews' &  Otis'  building,  Arcade  building, 
Arcade  court,  Berlin  block,  Blake'n  build- 
ing, Blaney  hall,  Boone  block,  Bowen's 
hull.-"  ing,  Burch'a  block.  Calhoun  block, 
Foltz's  nail,  Chamber  of  Commerce  build- 
ing, Chicago  Mutual  Life  Insurance  build- 
ing, Chicago  "Times"  building,  City  ar- 
mory, City  gas  works,  Court  house,  City 
waterworks,  Cobb's  block  (No.  1),  Cobb'a 
building,  Cobb's  block  (No.  2),  Commercial 
building,  Commercial  Insurance  company's 
building,  Crosby's  building  and  Crosby's 
Opera  house,  Custom  house  and  postnfHce, 
Democratic  hall.  Dickey's  building,  Dole's 
building,  Drake's  block,  E  wing  block.  Ex- 
change Bank  building,  Farwell  ball,  Fe- 
nian hail,  Firemen's  hall,  Flanders'  block, 
.Y-tna  building,  Fullerton  block,  Gallup's 
building.  Garrett  block,  German  house. 
Turner  Hall,  (Clark  street),  Germaniahall, 
Hartford  Fire  Insurance  building,  Health 
Lift  building,  Holt's  building,  Honore 
block,  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Land  de- 
partint-nt  building,  Jacfesou  hall,  Keep's 
builQiug,  Kent's  building,  King's  block. 
Kinzie  hall,  Larmon  block,  Light  Guard 
hall,  Lincoln  block,  Link's  block,  Lloyd's 
block,  Lombard  block,  Loomis  build- 
ing, Lumberman's  exchange,  McCarty'H 
building,  McCormick's  building,  Mo- 
Kee's  building.  Magie's  building, 
Major  block,  Marine  Bank  building,  Ma- 
sonic temple,  Mechanic's  building,  Mer- 
cantile building,  Methodist  Church  block, 
Metropolitan  Hall  block,  Monroe  building, 
Morrison  building?.  New  Turner'*  hall, 
Newberry  block.  North  Market  hall,  Nor- 
ton block.  Odd  Fellow's  hall.  Old  Board  of 
Trade  buildings,  (South  Water  street) 
Oriental  buildings,  <Hm  block,  (LaSalln 
street),  Otis  building  (State  street  i.Pardee's 
building,  Phojnix  building,  Puineroy's 
building,  Pope's  block.  Portland  block. 
Poslflloe  building.Purplb'd  block,  Raymond 
block,  Reynolds'  blo*k,  Kite's  building, 
Scammon'H  building,  Shepard's  building, 
Sherman  House  block.  Smith,  Nixon  <te 
Ditson's  ball,  Smith.  &  Nixon's  block,  Sonb' 
hall.Speed's  block,  Staats  /-itung  building. 
Steele's  block,  Stone's  building,  Taylor's 
block,  Teutonia  hall,  Trade  Assembly  hall. 
Tribune  building,  Turners'  building,  Tvler 
block,  Uhlich's  block,  North  Division  City 
Railway  stables,  Baer's  b'ook,  Herting'n 
building,  Union  building,  Volk's  builrting, 
Walker's  block,  Warner's  hall  and  block, 
Washington  block.  Wheeler'n  building, 
Wicker's  building,  Witkowsky  Hall  build 
ing,  Workingmon's  hall,  Wright  Bros.' 
building,  Bryan's  block. 

In  addition  to  tbe  above  were  a  large 
number  of  elegant  buildings  recently  com- 
pleted, or  ia  process  of  erection,  repre- 
senting a  valuation  approximating  million* 
of  dollars. 


11 


CHCRCHK8. 

North  Baptist,  OLivet  Baptist  (colored), 
Swedish  Baptist,  North  Star  Baptiat.  Mari- 
ners' Bethel,  New  England  Congregational, 
Lincoln  Park  Congregational .  Church  of 
Oar  Savior  (Epis.),  Church  of  the  Ascen- 
sion (Epis.),  Cooper's  Independent,  8t. 
Ansgarius  (Swedish  Epis)-,  St.  James 
(Epis.),  Trinity  (Epis.),  Trinity  Mission, 
Evangelical  Association  of  North  America, 
Evangelical  Second  church,  Free  Evan- 
gelical, English  Lutheran  (Ontario  street), 
First  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  St. 
Paul's,  Evangelical  Lutheran  Trinity,  First 
German  United  Evangelical  Lutheran  St. 
Paul's,  Illinois  street  Independent  Mis- 
sion, Jewish  church  of  the  North  Bide, 
Kehileth  Benai,  Shalom  (Jewish),  First 
Methodist,  Wabash  avenue  Methodist 
(scorched),  Grace  Methodist,  Grant  place 
Methodist,  Dixon  street  Methodist,  Van 
Buren  street  German  Methodist,  Cleyburn 
avenue  German  Methodist,  Grace  Scandi- 
navian Methodist,  Huron  street  Bethel, 
Bethel  African  Methodist,  Quinn's  African 
Methodist  Chapel,  First  Norwegian  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran,  Swedish  Evangelical 
Lutheran,  First  Presbyterian,  Sec- 
ond Presbyterian.  Westminster  Pres- 
byterian, Fullerton  Avenue  Presbyte- 
rian, North  Presbyterian,  Orchard  Street 
Presbyterian,  Bremer  Street  Independent 
Mission,  Newsboys'  Independent  Mission 
and  Home.  Erie  Street  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion, Burr  Presbyterian  Mission,  Tammany 
Hall  Mission,  Catholic  Cathedral  of  the 
Holy  Name,  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church 
and  university,  the  Catholic  Ecclesiastical 
palace,  St.  Louis'  Catholic,  St.  Joseph's 
Catholic,  St.  Michael's  Catholic,  ChurcM  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception,  St.  Rose  of 
Lima  Catholic,  Convent  and  Academy  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier,  Convent  of  the  Slaters 
of  Charity  (North  side),  Convent  of  Netre 
Dame,  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Con- 
vent of  the  Benedictine  Fathei  s,  Convent 
of  the  Benedictine  Nuns,  Convent  of  the 
Bedemptionist  Fathers,  Swedenborgian 
Temple  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  North  Bwe- 
denborgian  Mission,  Unitarian  Church  of 
the  Mewiah  (R.  L.  Collier's),  Unity  Church 
(Robert  Collyer'e).  St.  Paul's  Universalist. 

aunts. 

Chicago  Clearing  house;  First,  Second, 
Third,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Cook  County,  Com- 
mercial, City  Manufacturers',  Merchants', 
Mechanics',  Loan  ana  Trust,  Northwest- 
ern, Traders',  and  Union  National  banks; 
International  Mutual  Trust  company;  Mer- 
chants' Savings,  Loan  and  Trust  company; 
Farmers',  Merchants,  and  Mechanics'; 
State  Savings  institution:  Real  Estate, 
Loan  and  Trust  company;  Union  Insurance 
and  Trust  company;  Hibernian  Banking 
association;  Chicago  Building  and  Loan  as- 
sociations; Swedish  Commercial,  National 
bank  of  Common  e,  Marine  bank. 

PRIVATE  BANKERS. 

J.  M.  Adsit,  A.  C.  <fc  O.  F.  Badger,  Bald- 
win, Walker  .k  Co.,  H.  Clausenius  &  Co., 
Tllman,  Wrenn  &  Co.,  Cushuian  ik  Hardln, 
Folansbee  &Son,  Henry  Greenebaum  <k 
Co.,  Greenebanm  &.  Foreman,  Lunt,  Pres- 
ton <fc  Kean,  Mayer,  Leopold  «St  Steiner, 
Meadowcroft  Brothers,  Nichoff  &  Co., 
Louis  Sapieha.  J.  R.  Shipherd  &  Co..  Laza- 
rus Silverman,  A.  O.  Slaughter,  George  C. 
Smith  <k  Bro.,  Snydacker  <k  Co.,  James  B. 


Storey  &  Co .   Wilkins   &  Stone,  Ford   8. 
Wlnslow,  Collins  <fe  Ullman. 
HOTELS. 

Adams  bouse,  American.  Brevoort 
house,  Briggs  house,  Central  house.  City 
hotel,  Clarenden  house,  Clifton  house,  Con- 
tinental. Eagle,  European  (Dearborn 
street),  European  (State  street).  Everett. 
French  (Wells  street),  French  (Kinzie 
street).  Fort  Dearborn  house.  Garden  City, 
Girard,  Hatch.  Hess,  Garni,  Howard  house, 
Haber  house,  Illinois  house,  Jervis  house, 
Palmer,  Bi*elow,  Ogden  house,  Laclede, 
Mansion  house,  Massasoit  house,  Mattesou 
house,  Moulton  house,  Metropolitan  hotel, 
Michigan  (Central  Railroad  hotel,  Bethel 
home.  Nevada,  New  York,  Orient,  Poto- 
mac, Raymond  house.  Revere,  Rock  island, 
Schall,  Sherman,  St.  James,  Treinont, 
Washington,  Western  Eagle  and  Wright's. 

In  addition  to  the  above  should  be  men- 
tioned at  least  a  dozen  other  buildings  in 
course  of  erection  a^d  completion,  repre- 
senting a  valuation  of  several  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

RAILWAY  DEPOTS. 

Great  Union  Central  dept,  (including  the 
Illinois  Central.  Michigan  Central  and  Chi- 
cago Burlington  and  Quinov),  Southern 
Michigan  ana  Rock  Island,  Northwestern 
(Wells  street). 

TELEGRAPH  COMPANIES 

Western     Union,    Metropolitan,     Great 
Western,  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 
EXPRESSES. 

Adams',  American  Merchants'  Union, 
United  States,  Brink's. 

NEWSPAPERS,  ETC. 

Evening  Journal,  Tribune,  Times,  Re- 
publican, Post,  Mail,  Ledger,  Democrat. 
Agerdyrkning  and  Oeconomic,  American 
Churchman,  American  Messenger,  Ameri- 
kamscher  Botschafter,  Baptist  Quarterly, 
Baptist  Teacher,  Catholic  Weekly ,  Chicago 
City  Directory,  Commercial  Bulletin,  Com- 
mercial Express  ana  Produce  Reporter, 
Daily  Law  Record,  Daily  Programme, 
Dally  Record,  Dispatch,  Druggists'  Price 
Current,  Dry  Goods  Price  List,  Evening 
Mail,  Journal  of  Commerce,  Legal  News, 
Office  Directory,  Railway  Review,  Real 
Estate  Journal,  Union  (German),  Staats 
Zeitung,  Child's  Paper,  Child's  World. 
Dagslyet.  Daily  Commercial  Reporter  and 
Market  Review,  Der  Deutsche  Arbeiter, 
Der  Hausfreund,  Evening  Lamp,  Hem- 
landet.  Hemlandet  Ratta,  Home  Circle, 
Volks-Zeitung,  Catholishe  Woohenblatt, 
Little  Corporal,  Live  Stock  Reporter.  Mac- 
edonian and  Record,  Methodise  Publishing 
House,  National  Baptist,  New  Covenant. 
News  from  the  Spirit  World.  Northwestern 
Review,  Publishers'  Auxiliary,  Railroad 
Gazette,  School  Festival,  Sunday  School 
World,  Svanska  Amerikanaven,  Advance. 
Art  Review,  The  Arts,  Bright  Side.Oourier, 
The  Chronicle,  Congregational  Review. 
Fremad,  Herald  of  the  Coming  Kingdom, 
Land  Owner,  Inside  Track,  Liberal,  Inte- 
rior, Juxbruder,  Life  Boat.  Lyoenm  Ban- 
ner, National  Prohibitionist.  Observer, 
Pharmacist,  Prairie  Farmer.  Religio  Philo- 
sophical Journal, Skandinavian,  Spectator, 
standard  Reporter,  Western  Odd  Fellow, 
Wi -»tern  Rural,  Soldiers'  Friend,  Westliche 
Unterhallings  Blsa'et,  Werkingman's  Ad 
vacate,  Yiuag  Reaper* and  the  following 


12 


MAGAZINES. 

Lakeside  Monthly,  Manford's.Home  Jour- 
nal, Medical  Examiner,  Bureau,  Chicago 
(Mrs  Kay  ne'e)  Missionary.  Mystic  Star 
cNIonthly,  Sunday  Soholar,  Sunday  School 
Helper,  Sunday  School  Teacher,  Voice  of 
Masonry. 

LIHUARIES 

Historical  Society,  Law  Institute,  Metro- 
politan Hall  Library  association,  Young 
Men's  Christian  association.  Union  Catho- 
lic, together  with  many  others  of  great 
value. 

CITY  SCHOOLS 

Dearborn,  Junes,  Kinzie,  Frpnklin,  Og- 
<1en,  Newberry  (scorched).  Pearson  Street 
Primary,  Elm  Street  Primary.  North 
Branch  Primary.  La  Salle  Street  Primary, 
Third  Avenue  Primary. 

INDEPENDENT  SCHOOLS 

Holy  Name,  St.  Mary's,  8n.  Joseph's,  Im- 
maculate Conception,  First  Lutheran,  First 
•United  German  Lutheran,  St.  Paul's  Sec- 
ond ana  Third,  Italian  school,  German  and 
.English. 

ACADEMIES  AND  SEMINARIKS. 

Academy  of  Sciences, Christian  Brothers, 
Holy  Name,  St.  Francis  Xavier,  Bryant  <fc 
Chase  Commercial.  Dearborn  Ladles'  sem- 
inary, Dyhrenforth'a  Commercial,  Gold- 
beck's  Conservatory  of  Music,  Law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Caieago,  Rush 
Medical  college,  College  of  Pharmacy,  Ho- 
meopathic Academy  of  Medicine,  Charity 
Dispensary,  Hahnemann  Medical  Dispen- 
sary, Bennett  Medical  and  Surgical  college. 
HOSPITALS. 

Women  and  Children's,  Protestant  Dea- 
coness', Smallpox,  Alexian  Brothers', 
United  States  Marine  hospital,  Jewish. 

ASYLUMS. 

Newsboys'  and  Bootblack's  Homo,  Nur- 
sery and  Halt-orphan,  St.  Vincent,  House 
of  Providence,  St.  Paul's  Presbyterian  Or- 
phan asylum,  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Joseph's 
Orphan  asylum,  Charitable  Eye  and  Ear 
infirmary. 

MINOR  LOSSES 

Wentworth,  Woolwortn  &,  Co.,  Briggs 
house.  Loss  on  furniture,  fixtures  and 
horsea  in  Briggs  house,  $100,000  Insur- 
ance; Franklin,  Philadelphia,  $5000;  Re- 
public, Chicago,  $5000;  American  Central, 
St.  Louis,  $6000;  Commercial  Mntual,  Cleve- 
land, $2500;  Atlantic,  New  York,  $3500; 
Reaper  City,  Rookfonl.  $3600;  Occidental, 
(tan  Francisco,  $5000;  Exnalsior.  New  York, 
$5000;  Home.  Columbus,  Ohio,  $5000;  Fulton, 
New  York,  $5000;  State,  Cnlcago,  $2500;  New 
England,  Boston,  $5000;  Irving.  New  York, 
$-2500;  Merchant^',  Hartford,  $3000;  North 
British  and  Mercantile,  London,  $4000.  To- 
tal, $59,500. 

The  loss  of  the  Chicago  iron  works,  No. 
146 to  163  (tnclnsive)  North  Water  street, 
Dewey,  Jones  «fc  Sanders,  proprietors,  is  es- 
timated at  from  $50,000  to  $55,000,  insurance 
$10,000. 

J.  b.  Hendriokson,  701.  205  and  211  South 
Clark  street;  loss,  $40,000;  insurance,  $7000. 

William  G.  Holuiei*.  on  Lakn  street, 
hooks  and  stationer};  losses  $30.000  to 
$36,000 

H.  R.  Cabery,  Masonio  goods  and  rega- 
lias, 60  State  street,  loss  $10  000.  Insnranon 
— Allemania  of  Cleveland,  $1600;  German  of 
Cleveland,  $1500;  Commercial  of  Chicago, 
•$3000;  Home  Mutual  of  Chicago,  $2000. 

A.   B.   Case,   music    printer,   168  Clar 


street,  loss  $9000;  insurance  13000. 

J.  W  Crams,  Clifton  house  barber  .-ii  >;> 
and  bathing  rooms,  corner  Mauinou  and 
Wahash  avenue,  loss  $1300:  insurance  $300. 
Equitable,  Chicago;  loss  total. 

Cook  &  Monroe,  loss  on  srock  and  ma- 
chinery, $2500;  no  insurance. 

M.  Donahue,  insured  in  th«  Great  West- 
ern of  Chicago  for  $1000  on  household  fur- 
niture; his  total  IOSB  is  about  $3000 

E.  D.  Swain,  dentist,  No.  139  8tat«  street, 
ollioo  f urni'ure  and  instruments,  $800. 

Gillet.  McCullooh  A  Co.  were  at,  61  Michi- 
gan avenue,  proprietors  Gillet's  chemical 
works,  flavoring  extracts,  baking  powder, 
A.-3.,  the  largest  in  the  West;  loss  $80,000. 

THRILLING  INCIDENT-*     OF  THK 
GKKAT 


We  copy  from  the  New  York  Sun  the  fol- 
lowing thrilling  incidents : 

A  YOUNG  LADY'S  STOBY. 

Mies  Rollins  bad  a  most  narrow  escape 
from  a  ttery  death.  She  was  surrounded 
by  the  flames,  and  dashed  through  a  space 
where  the  wcoden  pavement  had  kindled 
into  a  blaza.  Sho  tells  the  following 
story : 

When  the  second  fire  broke  out  in  the 
South  division,  nearly  all  the  people  be- 
came insane  with  terror.  I  never  cm  tell 
of  the  universal  horror  of  those  hours. 
They  were  years..  I  don't  wonder  that 
men  seemed  demented  and  woni-n  hysteti- 
cal  One  of  the  little  girls  that  attended 
my  school  became  lost.  I  found  her  cry- 
ing as  though  her  heart  would  break.  She 
is  but  seven  j  ears  old,  and  she  could  not 
tell  what  had  become  of  her  parents  aud 
family.  There  were  many  such  cases. 
As  we  went  on  further  the  throng  increas- 
ed, until  the  streeU  and  tiaewalks  were 
black  with  people  It  was  like  a  fieshet. 
and  poured  in  the  one  direction  of  safety. 
Bj  and  by  we  found  the  fire  getting  around 
us  as  though  escape  would  be  cut  off.  and 
we  would  be  entombed  in  one  trrand  pyre 
of  flame.  "Go  the  other  way;  we  are 
headed  off!"  was  now  and  then  the  cry, and 
the  multitude  would  turn  back  struggling 
in  a  new  direction.  I  saw  some  women 
and  children  and  one  man.  exhausted,  ita 
down  in  the  gutters  to  die  in  the  hopeless- 
ness of  dest>eratiou.  Others  would  seize 
and  urge  them  along  Suaoke  and  cinder* 
and  flame  and  tcorching  heat  filled  the 
•tt 

CHILDREN   fcCREAMED  IN  TEBROR 

and  begged  Tor  water.  80  m«  would  catch 
up  water  from  puddies  ue*r  hydrants  aud 
moisten  the  njouth  "This  is  the  day  of 
judgment!  this  must  be  the  end  of  the 
world!"  exclaimed  more  than  one.  The 
degree  of  sympathy  that  prevailed  was 
wonderful.  Theie  seemed  to  ha  one  in- 
stinctive throb  of  feeling,  and  the  strong 
helped  the  weak.  I  believe  that  thieves 
had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  fire.  If 
they  did  not  start  it  in  the  first  place  they 
kindled  llarues  in  fresh  places.  I  savr 
houses  that  bad  been  deserted  entered  by 
ill-looking  fellows,  who  ransacked  bureaus 
and  closets.  There  was  no  time  to  speak  to 
them.  Once  or  twice  when  they  were 
spoken  to  they  professed  to  have  been  sent 
by  tbe  owners  to  save  things  Many  peo- 
ple in  the  haste  of  their  escape  abandoned 


13 


everything,  even  to  jewelry  and  money.  I 
aaw  one  fellow's  pooEet  half  full  of  jewelry 
and  watches  I  spoke  of  it,  but  in  an  In- 
stant he  lost  himself  in  the  crowd.  I  saw 
a  colored  man  with  a  lady's  chatalaine 
chain  suspended  awkwardly  at  his  vest. 
The  little  girl  I  bad  walked  until  the  hot 
pavements  blistered  her  little  f*et.  Then 
we  carried  her.  "la  papa  and  mamma 
burnt  up!  is  Neddie  burnt  np  dead!"  she 
piteously  asked.  L*te  at  ntght  we  found 
them  all  safe.  It  was  nearly  morning  be- 
fore we  obtained  shelter  and  food.  I 
never  want  to  set  eyes  upon  Chicago  again. 

MR.  LOCKWOOI/8  8TOKY. 

Miss  Roliins's  story  ia  not  so  thrilling  as 
that  of  the  gentlemen,  especially  Mr  Lock- 
wood,  who.  in  company  with  Mr  Wallace, 
escaped  across  the  river  in  a  boat,  the 
bridges  being  useless.  Thence  they  crossed 
the  lumber  district,  which  had  commenced 
to  blaze.  la  one  instance  they  had  to  lean 
over  the  burning  timber  Upon  »  roof 
they  clambered  to  get  a  breath,  and  reit 
and  view.  They  said  : 

"  We  had  au  awful  sight  from  here. 
Four  dray  horses  were  penned  up  in  a 

eat  yard,  on  either  side  of  which  were 

alls  of  lumber  blazing,  crackling  and 
snapping  fiercely.  The  air  was  intensely 
hot  and  the  smoke  stifling.  The  poor  ani- 
mals had  got  loose  and  ran  to  and  fro, 
their  nostrils  expanded,  their  eves  aglare 
with  terror,  and  uttering  all  the  time  wild, 
despairing  cries,  pawiug  the  ground,  roll- 
ing in  the  dust  and  rearing  IQ  fury.  We 
sickened  at  the  sight  and  hastened  away, 
for  oar  own  salvation  was  none  too  cer- 
tain. Arriving  at  me  Court  house,  we 
poshed  through  the  multitude  and  finally 
obtained  a  place  m  the  tower.  Here  we 
bad  an  extended  vision  of  the  devastation. 
The  night  was  hideous  with  scenes  and 
sounds  more  infernal  than  human.  Below 
us  in  the  square  among  the  crowd  we  re- 
cognized 

A  ILLS  WHO  PREACHES  INK1UKL  SEBMOKS. 

or  rather  tirades  from  tbesfpB,  and  fre- 
quently was  stopped  by  the  people  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  disturbance,  he  incited. 
Now  he  was  wringing  his  hands  as  if  In 
ageny,  and  wailing  and  shouting:  "Where 
is  God  now!  Where  is  God  now  1  Show  as 
thn  angel*:"  «k  >. 

This  he  COD  tinned  until  an  otlicer  collared 
and  thrust  him  into  the  basement,  where 
his  raving  were  less  audib'e. 

The  crowds  could  be  seen  in  the  streets 
huddled  together,  stupefied  with  fear, 
gazing  like  demented  ones  upon  the  awful 
panorama.  The  lurid  glare  gave  every- 
thing a  crimson  hue,  and  the  moving 
figures  in  the  avenues  seemed  like  imps  of 
brimstone  Horces  were  terrified,  and 
snorted  and  neighed  a*  they  were  trem- 
blingly forced  to  go.  The  cries  of  chiidrm 
and  parent"  seeking  each  other  in  vain 
were  more  than  heart-rending.  Very  few 
of  the  rougher  classes  were  intoxicated, 
and  even  these  seemed  awed  into  decor- 
um. On  and  on  with  remarkable  speed 
came  the  flaming  procession.  It  leaped 
the  river,  and  strided  on  with  unopposed 
foxy.  The  multitude  now  began  to  leave. 
All  the  hotels  had  been  emptied,  and  flight 
waa  imperative. 

A  HOKHIliLE  TRAGEDY. 

Jast  now  occurred  a  scene  that  froze  our 


blood.  At  the  intersection  of  Randolph 
and  Market  streets  was  a  largn  building. 
(Call*m's>  used  for  offices.  The  janitor  re- 
sided on  the  fourth  floor  with  his  family, 
consisting  of  a  wife  and  four  children.  By 
some  means  they  ware  unable  to  escapn. 
Surrounded  by  the  tire,  they  ascended  to 
the  roof.  The  babe  was  in  the  mother's 
arms,  and  another  child,  a  little  boy,  clung 
TO  her  skirts.  Two  girls  were  clasped  iu 
the  arms  of  the  father.  Their  shouts  were 
but  faintly  heard  over  the  howl  of  the 
winds  and  the  roar  of  the  names.  At  last 
the  heat  became  so  intense  that  the  woman 
was  overcome  and  lell  to  the  roof.  The 
father  wildly  threw  out  hip  hand  and  stag- 
gered, writhed,  and  funk  by  bis  wifp'a 
ride.  That  was  all  of  that  tragedy.  We 
sickened  at  the  sight,  and  hurried  down  to 
the  street,  which  by  this  time  was  pretty 
well  deeerted.  Then  along  the  banks  of 
the  lak*  we  wandered,  more  like  dead  than 
living  men.  We.  heard  aud  saw  mourning 
and  agony  and  suffering  that  all  the  books 
in  the  world  could  not  hold  the  account  of. 
We  were  comfortably  flred  in  lite  one 
week  ago;  now  we  are  penniless.  We 
have  no  doubt  that  incendiaries  did  pan  of 
the  wotk.  and  for  robbery  and  ravage." 

The  shoes  and  clothing  of  all  the  party 
attested  the  severity  of  the  ordeal  threugh 
which  they  had  passed. 


THE   TKRHIBLE    8OKSKS    OF     MON- 
DAY. 

The  follow4ng  is  from  the  Chicago  Tri1>- 
une  ot  October  12th: 

SCENES  ON  WAHASH  AVENL'K. 

The  scene  presented  on  Wabaeh  avenue 
on  Monday,  for  a  period  extending  from  4 
o'clock  A  M.  till  late  in  the  day,  was  a  most 
extraordinary  one,  calling  to  mind  moat 
vividly  the  retreat  of  a  routed  army.  The 
lower  part  of  the  avenue  had.  at  an  early 
hour,  been  occupied  by  residents  of  burning 
quarters,  who  sought  safety  for  themselves- 
and  their  chattels  by  depositing  them  on 
the  grata  plats  skirting  the  sidewalks.  For 
a  long  distance  these  plats  were  occur ied 
by  families,  mostly  of  the  lower  classes, 
with  their  household  goods.  They  sup- 
posed that  they  had  discovered  a  place  of 
security. but  their  confidence  ia  this  regard 
proved  unfounded.  As  the  tire  commenced 
spreading  up  the  avenue  a  wild  scene  of 
confusion  ensued.  The  street  waa  crowded 
with  vehicles  of  ail  descriptions,  many 
drawn  by  men,  who  found  it  impossible  to- 
procure  draught  animals.  The  bide  walks 
were  filled  with  a  hurrying  crowd,  bear- 
ing in  their  arms  and  upon  their  backs  anti 
heads  clothing,  furniture,  «to.  Ladieu 
dressed  in  elegant  coatumea,  put  on  with  a 
view  of  preserving  them,  and  with  costly 
apparel  of  all  kinds  thrown  over  their 
aruis  and  shoulderi".  staggered  along  un- 
der the  unwonted  burden.  Poor  women 
with  mattresses  upon  their  heads,  or 
weighed  down  with  furultuie,  tottered 
with  weary  steps  np  the  crowded  street. 
Nearly  every  one  wore  a  stern  expresfrloo.. 
and  moved  on  without  a  word, as  if  they  had 
Uraoed  up  their  mlnde  to  «ndure  the  worat 
without  manifesting  any  emotion.  Occa- 
sionally, however,  the  wail  of  women  and 
children  rent  the  air.  bringing  teara  to  the 
eyea  of  those  who  witnessed  the  inamfea- 


14 


tatlons.  Poor  little  children  shivered  in  the 
cold  night  air,  and  looked  with  wide  open 
eyes  npon  the  scene  they  could  not  com- 
prehend. Ludicrous  Incidents  -were  of  oc- 
casional occurrence,  lighting  up  with  a 
sort  of  horrible  humor  the  terrible  realities 
<>f  the  situation.  Women  would  go  by 
with  dogs  in  their  arms,  their  pets  being 
all  they  had  saved  from  the  ruins  of  their 
homes.  An  octogenarian  ran  in  a  yard, 
with  a  large  cat  enf elded  in  his  feeble  em- 
brace. Men  dragging  wagons  wore  green 
veils  over  their  f  HC-  A  to  protect  their  eyes 
from  t"e  blinding  dust.  Drunken  men 
staggered  among  the  crowds,  apparently 
possessed  of  the  idea  that  the  whole  affair 
was  a  grand  municipal  spree,  in  wiiich 
they  were  taking  part  as  a  duty  that  should 
be  discharged  by  all  good  citizens.  Trucks 
passed  up  street  loaded  wltli  trunks,  on 
which  sat  ladies  in  costly  garb,  and  with 
diamonds  on  their  fingers.  But  one  day 
before  they  would  have  scorned  the  idea  of 
riding  in  anything  less  imposing  than  a 
luxurious  landau  or  coupe;  but  Their  pride 
was  leveled  in  the  presence  of  the  univer- 
sal imminent  danger,  and  they  were  thor- 
oughly glad  to  get  the  humblest  cart  in 
which  to  place  themselves  aud  their  valu- 
ables. 

The  great  portion  of  the  people  knew 
not  whither  they  were  going.  All  they 
knew  was  that  the  horrible  tire  was  behind 
them  and  they  must  move  on.  The  stream 
poured  southward  for  hours— the  broad  av- 
enue being  tilled  from  house  to  house  with 
men,  women,  children,  horses,  mules,  vehi- 
cles, wheelbarrows—everything  that  could 
move,  or  could  be  moved.  Truckmen  and 
express  drivers  were  hailed  from  the  steps 
of  houses,  or  eagerly  pursued  by  the  ooau- 
pants,  with  the  view  of  securing  their  aid 
in  removing  household  goods  to  places  of 
ttafety.  In  many  instances  the  appeals 
were  unsuccessful,  their  services  having 
been  previously  engaged  by  other  parties; 
but  when  they  were  disengaged  they 
charged  the  moat  exorbitant  prices,  rang- 
ing from  $5  to  $100  for  a  load,  and  turning 
up  their  noses  at  offers  of  amounts  less 
than  they  asked.  This  class  of  people 
made  great  profit  out  of  the  calami  ties  of 
their  fellow-citizens.  Their  pockets  may 
be  heavy  to-day,  but  their  consciences,  if 
they  have  any,  should  be  still  heavier. 
Tne  instances  of  generosity  were,  bow- 
ever,  far  In  excess  of  those  of  greed  and 
Helfiehness.  People  from  districts  which 
had  not  already  burned,  or  who  had  se- 
cured their  o«n  goods,  turned  in  with  a 
will  and  worked  to  aa-i»t  their  friends,  and 
frequently  rendered  aid  to  persons  whom 
they  did  not  even  know.  Good  angels,  In 
the  shape  of  women,  distributed  food 
among  tne  sufferer*,  and  spoke  kind  words 
to  those  who  memed  to  labor  under  the 
severest  affliction  Human  nature,  God 
be  thanked,  nas  us  brunt  as  well  as  its 
dark  sides. 

In  addition  to  the  crowds  pressing  south- 
ward tbrongs  of  people  moved  northward 
to  see  what  they  could  see.  And  these 
counter  currents  frequently  caused  a  jam 
that  was  almost  Inextricable.  But  after 
great  effort,  interspersed  with  considerable 
loud  talking  and  no  small  degree  of  pro- 
fanity, the  dead-look  would  be  removed, 
and  the  opposing  surges  would  again  make 


slow  progress. 

When  the  churrh  on  the  corner  of  Wa- 
bash  avenue  and  Harrison  street  took  fire 
It  seemed  as  If  no  limit  could  be  placed  to 
the  southward  march  of  the  monster.  An 
Immense  throng  was  collected  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Harrison  street  and  Hubbard 
court,  and  word  was  passed  among  them 
that  Laird  Collier's  church  was  about  to 
be  blown  up.  The  intelligence  spread  with 
rapidity  of  lightning,  and  then  ensued  a 
terrible  race  for  life.  The  masses  fled 
precipitately  up  the  avenue,  helter-skel- 
ter, pell-jneil.  It  was  everyone  for  him- 
self, and  tne  devil  take  the  hindmost.  L'*- 
tie  consideration  was  had  to  age  or  sex. 
Fortunately,  however,  no  one  was  seriously 
injured  in  the  fearful  rush,  and  the  people 
poured  in  disjointed  masses  towards  the 
various  side  ntreets,  many  not  deeming 
themselves  safe  until  they  had  placed  sev- 
eral blocks  between  themselves  and  the 
point  from  which  the  danger  was  expected 
to  proceed. 

And  so  the  day  wore  on, the  living  kaleid- 
oscope making  constant  changes,  but  ever 
presenting  the  same  aspect.  Excitement, 
sorrow,  grief,  terror,  panic,  madness,  col-  . 
ored  everything,  relieved  simply  by  a  few 
touches  of  ludicrousness  that  were  abso- 
lutely grotesque  In  their  relation  to  the 
all  pervading  norror. 

ESCAPE    OF    PEOPLE    INTO    THE    WEST  DIVI- 
SION. 

80  soon  as  the  people  west  of  Clark  street 
began  to  see  tkat  there  was  no  hope,  and 
thatithe  fire  was  really  bound  to  go  north- 
ward to  an  indefinite  point,  they  turned  all 
their  minds  to  gutting  over  in  the  West  di- 
vision, where  tuere  was  comparative  safe- 
ty from  the  flames  and  plenty  of  vacant 
ground  on  which  to  encamp.  So,  since 
Chicago  avenue  bridge  was  useless,  the 
whole  tide  turned  toward  Division,  which, 
from  Grove  to  Halsted.  was  untouched, 
aud  promised  to  remain  so.  It  was  not 
many  minutes  before  a  steady  stream  of 
carriages,  drays,  express  wagons  and  ve- 
hicles of  every  description  were  rushing 
pell-mell  across  that  bridge,  interlocking 
and  breaking,  while  the  southern  streets 
leading  up  to  Division  were  jammed  v  i:b 
wagons,  which  occasionally  caught  hre. 
The  expressmen  and  draymen,  stimulated 
by  the  immense  prices  th«y  were  receiving 
—twenty  to  fifty  dollars  a  load— drove 
their  heavy  teams  recklessly  forward, 
breaking  down  the  weaker  teams  and  forc- 
ing their  way  across  the  river,  in  order  to 
return  as  soon  as  possible  for  another  load. 
Sometimes  they  themselves  catue  to  grief, 
and  then,  unfastening  their  horses,  tried 
to  find  another  wagou. 

THE  ROADS  WKRE  KILLED  WITH  PEOPLE 

crazed  by  excitement  and  liquor,  or  stupe- 
fied with  smoke,  and  no  regard  at  all  was 
paid  to  them  by  the  drivers,  so  tnat  at  all 
those  points  numerous  accidents  were  con- 
stantly occurring.  One  man  was  driving 
up  Clark  street  with  a  heavy  load,  when 
he  fell  from  his  seat 

AND  IN8TAMTLT  BROKE  HIS  NECK. 

The  team  was  loaded  with  trunks 
marked  "Barton  Edsatl."  Mrs.  Edaall  was 
taken  from  her  house  in  a  half  insensible 
condition  quite  early  in  the  morning. 

THE  WANDERERS 

crossing    Division  street  either  scattered 


15 


thenmlves  north  or  went  straight  west, 
while  many  encamped  themselves  upon 
Orove  Island,  which  lies  between  the 
North  branch  and  Ogden  canal.  When  the 
trams  moved  a  little  w«atth«y  found  their 
•way  blocked  by  the  care  of  the  Northwest- 
ern road,  which  bad  been  run  up  there  to 
avoid  ftie  fire,  aad  people  were  compelled 
to  make  long  detours  to  get  through  them. 
Many  nnable  t»  force  their  way  through 
the  oonf  UBion  of  Division  street,  which  was 
almost  equal  tu  that  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Beresina.  turned  into  the  side  streets,  and 
made  their  way  to  North  Avenue  bridge, 
where  they  were  able  to  get  out  without 
great  difficulty,  though  much  hampered  by 
the  railroad  trains  after  they  got  acrocs 
there;  not  only  teams,  but  foot  passengers, 
carrying  In  their  arms  children  and  some 
lit'le  articles  of  furniture  or  wearing  ap- 
parel, wended  their  weary  way  in  toe  same 
direction.  One  woman  had  nothing  but  a 
eilk  sack,  and  another  was  accompanied 
by  a  child,  who  bad  in  its  arms  a  couple  of 
cats  and  a  little  dog,  and  crying  itself,  sobs 
out.  "Don't  cry,  mammy."  After  getting 
out  upon  the  prairie,  they  settled  down 
wheiever  they  could  find  room,  some  sit- 
ting in  rocking  chairs,  and  others  upon 
blanketa  on  the  ground.  None  of  them 
said  anything,  but  all  sat  looking  intently 
at  the  tire,  which  was  immediately  before 
them.  Many  who  had  teams  went  as  far 
west  as  the  Artesian  well,  where  they  en- 
camped around  the  large  pond.  wMch  sup- 
plied them  with  water.  There  they  re- 
mained in  the  most  forlorn  and  uncomfort- 
able condition,  which  was  aggravated  by 
the  rain,  which  began  falling  at  11  o'clock 
on  Monday  night,  and  which  caused  a 
change  from  the  warm  and  comfortable 
temperature  of  the  day  to  the  piercing 
chillness  of  yesterday  viornlntr. 

LATE  OS  MOSDAY  EVENING 

Chicago  avenue  bridge  caught  tire  and  soon 
fell  into  the  river.  It  was  even  then  al- 
most impossible  to  get  over  at  Division 
street  on  account  of  the  teams  which  were 
even  then  crossing  Everywhere  the  wil<J- 
e*t  confusion  was  prevailing.  Families 
were  separated  and  the  members  were 
vainly  seeking  for  one  another.  One  po- 
liceman picked  up  a  three  months'  old  child 
which  had  been  lost  in  pome  way.  Since 
there  was  no  uee  in  faoing  the  fl-tmes,  the 
engines  arranged  themselves  along  the 
west  hank  of  the  north  branch,  and  did  the 
best  they  could  all  Monday  in  playing  on 
the  ea*t  and  west  sides. 

The  fire  went  furtber  and  further  north, 
taking  both  side*  of  North  avenue,  and 
continuing  beyond  that 

TILL  IT  KKACHKI)  WRIGHT'S  GROVE, 

and  Ogden's  grove,  where  it  did  uot  pro- 
gress so  easily  aoiid  the  wet  timber.  The 
rain  which  begaa  falling  on  Mondnv  even 
ing  dampened  the  graes,  and  sensibly  re' 
tamed  it.  Then  it  worked  back  again  and 
got  hold  of  the  coal  heaps  and  lumber- 
yards laying  soatn  of  Chicago  avenun,  and 
wade  a  clean  sweep  of  all  tha'  was  left 
there.  8-»  brilliant  was  tb«  light  on  Mon- 
day evening  that  u  was  feared  by  pome  of 
those  on  the  west  nidn  that  it  would  cross 
over  there  and  obliterate  what  was  left  of 
the  city. 

A   FRIGHTFUL   8CKNB 

While  MaUisou  «treet,  west  of  Dearborn, 


and  the  west  side  of  Dearbarn  were  til 
ablaxe,  the  spectators  saw  the  lurid  light 
appear  in  the  roar  windows  of  Speed's 
block.  Presently  a  mas,  who  had  appar- 
ently taken  time  to  dress  himself  leisurely. 
appeared  on  the  extension  built  up  to  the 
second  story  of  two  of  the  stores.  He 
coolly  looked  down  the  thirty  feet  between 
him  and  the  ground,  while  the  excited 
crowd  first  cried  jump;  and  then  some  of 
them  more  considerately  looked  for  a  lad- 
der. A  long  plank  was  soon  found  and 
answered  the  same  as  the  ladder,  and  was 
placed  at  once  against  the  building,  down 
which  the  man  soon  after  slid. 

But  while  these  preparations  were  going 
on  there  suddenly  appeared  another  man 
at  a  fourth  story  window  of  the  building 
below,  which  had  no  projection,  bat  flash 
from  the  top  to  the  ground— four  stories 
and  a  basement.  His  escape  by  the  stairway 
was  apparently  out  off  and  be  looked  de- 
spairingly down  the  fifty  feet  between  him 
and  the  ground.  The  crowd  grew  almost 
frantic  at  the  sight,  for  it  was  only  a  choice 
of  death  before  him.  Senseless  cries  of 
"Jump!  jump!"  went  up  from  the  crowd- 
senseless,  but  full  of  sympathy,  for  the 
sight  was  absolutely  agonizing.  Then,  for 
a  minute  or  two  he  disappeared,  perhaps 
even  less,  but  it  seemed  so  long  a  time  the 
supposition  was  that  he  had  fallen,  suffo- 
cated with  smoke  and  hear.  Bat  no,  he 
appears  again.  First,  he  thrown  a  bed, 
then  some  bed  clothes,  apparently;  why, 
probably  even  he  does  not  know.  Again 
he  looks  down  the  dead,  shear  wall  of  nfty 
feet  below  him  lie  hesitate*,  and  well  L  e 
may.  as  he  looks  behind  him.  Then  be 
mounts  to  the  window  sill.  His  whole 
form  appears,  naked  to  the  shirt,  and  his 
white  limbs  gleam  against  the  dark  wall  in 
the  bright  light  as  he  swings  himself  be- 
low the  window. 

Somehow— how  none  can  tell— he  drops 
aad  catches  upon  the  top  of  the  windows 
below  him.  of  the  third  btory.  He  stoops 
and  drops  again,  and  seizes  the  frame  with 
his  hanus,  and  his  gleaming  body  onot» 
more  straightens  and  hangs  prone  down- 
ward, and  then  drops  instantly  and  acour 
ately  upon  the  window  sill  of  t&e  talrd 
story.  A  shout,  more  of  joy  than  applause, 
goee  up  from  the  breatulosa  crowd,  and 
those  who  had  turned  away  their  heads, 
not  bearing  to  look  upon  him  as  he  seemed 
about  to  drop  to  sudden  aud  to  certain 
death,  glanced  up  at  him  once  more,  with  a 
ray  of  hope,  at  this  daring  and  skillful  feat 
Into  this  window  he  crept  to  look,  proba- 
bly, for  a  stairway,  but  appeared  again 
presently,  for  here  was  the  only  avenue  or 
<-soape,  desperate  and  hopeless  as  it  was. 
Once  more  ne  dropped  his  body,  hanging 
by  his  hand. 

The  crowd  screamed,  and  waved  for  him 
to  awing  himself  over  the  projection  from 
•which  the  other  mau  had  just  bean  res- 
cued. He  tried  to  do  this,  and  vibrated 
like  a  pendulum  from  side  to  side,  but 
could  Lot  reach  far  enough  to  throw  him- 
self npon  its  roof  Then  be  bong  by  one 
hand,  and  looked  down;  raising  the  other 
hand,  be  took  a  fresh  hold,  and  swung 
from  side  to  side  again  tu  reach  the  roof. 
In  vain  Again  be  hung  motionless  by  one 
nand,  and  slowiv  turned  his  head  over  hit 
shoulder  and  gazed  into  the  abyss  below 


16 


lulu.  Then,  gathering  himself  up.  he  let 
u-o  bia  hold,  and  for  a  second  a  gleam  of 
white  shot  down  full  forty  feet,  to  the 
foundation  of  the  basement.  Of  course  It 
killed  him.  He  was  taken  to  a  drug  store 
near  by,  and  died  in  ten  minutes. 


LUt  of  all  the  Illinois  Companies  Doing 
Business  in  Chicago. 

[From  the  Spectator.] 
Company.  Cash  Capital.    Asset*. 

Alt  Mut  &  8av,  Alton   $160.000  $169,724  98 

American,  Chicago..     150.000  274,790  32 

Aurora  Fire,  Aurora.     200,000  220,47858 
B 1  o  ouiington  Fire, 

Bloomington 200,000  193,162  11 

Chicaso  Fire.Chicaxo     101,800  131,666  76 

Chi  Firemen's,  Chic'o     200,000  372,844  48 

Commercial.  Chicago     100,000  266,656  45 

Equitable.  Chicago..     100 ooo  121,491  17 

Farmers'  Freeport....     100,000  116,'298  13 
Geiman  InsandSav, 

Quinoy 132,090  168,961  87 

German,  Freeport...     101,000  119,85439 

Garden  City.  Chicago     160,000  181,488  93 

Germania, 'Chicago..     200,000  267,82064 

Great  West.,  Chicago     222,831  271,89686 

Home,  Chicago 200,000  246,383  17 

Illinois  Mutual  Fire, 

Alton 113,000  227,80142 

Illinois,  Beardscown.      100,000  16l.91'2  22 

Knickerbocker,  Chi ..      194,000  20412878 

Lamar,  Chicago 265,666  292.95666 

Merchants',  Cniuago.     500,000  878.252  25 

Mut  Security, ChiCttKO      118,325  145,683  64 

Rookford,  KooKford..     100,000  n;i,442  54 

Republic,  Chicago...      998,200  1.132,81243 

Htate.  Chicago. „ 283,895  362,351  67 

Winneshiek,  Freep'c.     100,000  148,732  18 

Total 45,161,607    $6,746,393  91 

rOMl'ANIKS  OP  OTHER  STATES  BOING    lil'SI- 
NBhS  IN  CHICAGO. 

Cash  Total 

Company.                    Capital.  Asoets. 

.*:cna,IUrtfnrd $8,000,000$3,782,635  09 

Alps,  Erie.  Pa 260,000  265,62433 

(Etna,  N.  Y 800,000  442,70955 

Anchor  F.  &  M  8 c. Louis   100,225  121,974  15 

Andes,  Cincinnati 1,000,000  1,203,425  65 

Astor  Fire.  N   Y 260,000  405,67105 

American  Ex  Fire,  N.Y  200,000  277,349  98 

Atlantic  Fire,  Brooklyn   800,080  648,194  33 

American  Cen. , 8t  Louis  231,370  26487577 

American,  Providence.    200,000  374,969  96 

Atlantic F.&M.,Provid.   uoo.o.o  826,61408 

Albany  City.  Albany....   200.000  395,14569 

Allemania  F.,Cleveland  250,000  285,275  01 

Buffalo  City,  Buffalo...    300.000  870,93269 

Beekman  Fire,  N.  Y....   200,000  261,85098 

Buffalo  F.&M.,  Buffalo.    304,222  473,67789 

Brewers'  Pro.,  Milwau.    164,175  183.681  62 

City  Fire,  Hartford 260,000  648  287  37 

Connecticut  F.,  Hartl'd.   200,000  405,068  79 

Commerce,  Albany 400000  689,23158 

Charter  Oak  F..  Hartf .   160,000  252,050  62 

Commerce  F.f  N.  Y 200,000  249,37233 

Continental,  N.  Y 600,0003,638,03775 

Cleveland,  Cleveland..   414400  530,20881 

Capital  City,  Albany...    200,000  293,76600 

Commercial  Mu.,Cleve..  201210  840,62399 

Citizens',  N.  Y 300.000  684,872  47 

Detroit  F.  &  M.,  Detroit  150,000  273,063  23 

Enter  pi  ise,  Phila 200.000  611,65415 

Excelsior  Fire,  N.  Y. . . .   200,000  835,723  88 

Fulton  Fire,  M.  Y 200,000  308,00164 

Franklin  Fire,  PJiila. . . .    400,000  3,086,462  85 

Firemen's  Fd,8.  Fran. . .    600,000  799,026  67 


German,  Cleveland 300.000     281,26000 

German  Fire,  N.  York..   600,006  1,077,848  »o 

Hibernla,  Cleveland 200,000     Joo.ooo  00 

Hartford  Fire.Httrtford  1,000,000  2,737,519  39 

Home,  New  York 2,600,000  4.578,008  02 

Hide  and  L'thr,  Boston  300,000  ,419.211  34 
Howard,  New  York  ....  800.000  k783,350  70 
Hanover  Fire.  N.  York..  400,000  700.334  64 

Home,  Columbus 600,000     63*44735 

Hope,  Providence 150,000     211,67312 

International.  N  York..    500.000  1,319,151  24 

Irving  Fire.  N  York 200,000     321.744  60 

Independent,  Boston..  300.000  643,64792 
Ins.  Co.  Of  N.  A,  Phila..  600,0003.050.63564 
Lortliard  Fire,  N.  York.l.ooo.ooo  1,715,909  81 
Lamar  Fire,  N.  York  ...  300,000  551,40100 
.Liverpool  and  Loodou  \  o  n/w  *fi1  n, 

and  Globe,  L'dn  &  L«T.  $        •—  3'°°*'361 

L,ycomingF.,Munoy,Pa 51689626 

Market  Fire,  N.  York  ...  200,000  704,684  2» 
Mercantile  Fire.  N.  Y  ..  200,000  273,399  17 

Manhattan,  N.  York 600,000  1,407,788  39 

Mer.  &  Me.  F.,  Balti 250,000     835,67608 

Merchants',  Hartford  ...  200  000  540.095  80 
N.  Amsterdam  F.  N.  Y  .  SOo.OOO  432,638  36 
N.  American  F  ,  Hart  . .  3'K).000  456,503  31 
N.  E.  Mu.  Mar  ,  Boston.  200,000  1.081.456  60 
Norwich  F.,  Norwich....  300,000  378,71834 

N.Br&Mer.Lon&Edm 1.340,521  88 

National Boston....    300,000     821,83977 

Niagara  FireNew  York.  1,000,000  1,304,667  09 
No'w't'nN'l.Milwa'kee.  150,000  191,201  84 
N.  A.  Fire.. .New  York.  600,000  770,30495 
Occidental.. B.  Fr'n'sco.  300,000  474,094  53 

Phoenix Hartford . .    600,000  1,788,921  98 

Putn'mFire.Hwrtford..    400,000     770,782  97 

Pacific 8.  Fr'n'sco.l.OOO.OOO  1,777.266  66 

Pr'v.Wa'h'n.Pr'vlde'ce.    200.000     415,148  51 

Phoenix Brooklyn..  1.000,000  1,095,667  10 

Peoples'Fi'e. Worcester.    400,000     887,956  28 

Peoples' 8  Fr'n'sco.    200,000     323,113  18 

R.  Williams. Pr'vide'ce.  200,000  278,966  94 
Rep'llcFire.NewYork.  300,000  683,478  43 

Security New  York.  1,000, 000  1,880,333  08 

8p'gf'dF&M.Bpringfl»ld.     500,000     936,400  94 

Sun Cleveland..    248,000     301,34040 

8t  ±*.F&M.8o.  Paul....  21(0,000  280,69306 
Teut'ia  Fire.Cleveland..  760,000  237,016  0* 

Union 8.  Fr'n'cso.    300,000  1,116,673  67 

Western Buffalo....    400.000     683,04663 

WASflington. New  York.  500,000  774,411  38 
Yo'k'e&NYF.NewYork 868,933  OS 


Total $34,818,602  $73,063,68«  22 


Approximate    Losses    of  the    Various 
Companies. 

[From  the  Chicago  Evening  Journal,  13th.] 
Below  is  a  list  of  the  reported  losses  of 
the  various  Insurance  companies.  Yester- 
day a  number  of  Eastern  Insurance  agent* 
arrived  in  the  city,  and  in  the  afternoon  a 
meeting  of  adjusters  and  agents  and  oth- 
ers Interested,  was  held  at  No.  67  Canal 
street.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order 
by  appointing  R.  J.  Smith,  of  the  Putnam, 
Hartford,  chairman,  and  Alfred  Wright- 
way  secretary-  On  motion  of  Kr.  Moore, 
it  was  ordered  that  a  committee  be  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  a  plan  of  action  to  be 
submitted  at  a  future  meeting.  The  chair 
appointed  Messrs.  Moore,  Case,  Ducat, 
Lewis  and  Clarke  the  committee.  It  -wa» 
ordered,  also,  that  a  room  be  obtained  fur 


17 


f->r    future    inettU^s.      The  THE    GRKAT    FIRKS    OF    HISTORY. 

'XSSX?  the   BPprox,mat«  Among  the  great  tires  of  modern  hi.- 

losses  of  the  various  cooipanit-  a   were  re-  tory,  the    mind  naturally    reverts   to 

H0turtrord/uf0Harr.rord  .............  ti,800,00o  the     conflagration      in     London     in 

iLsnraDi-e     company     of     Korea  1606  as    the  most    destructive.     Rela- 
Arueric*.  of  Philaflelpbla  ..........     700.00O 

Aineru-an  Ontrai.  of  8'.  LOUIB  ____     275.000  tively,  such    it  was   for  it  continued 

Franklm.  or  Philadelphia  .............     600000  f         j              d    nisrhts  and  oonsnined 

Under  wn  W«  asency,  of  N.  Y.  .  .  .     700  000  nignra,  ai 

Pbreuix,  of  H^rif.u-d  ...............     720,000  nearly  five-Rixths  of  the  city  within 

Howard,  of  New  York  ................    2no,WKi  ite   walL    Yet,    although    more   than 

S£g^"«VJ&:3i::  *5;SS  ™««™  ^°™™*  hou«.e«  £ft£fr 

PnccnLr,  of  Brooklyn  ..................     70o,oto  ecription  then  common   in  the  thickly 

Narragansetc,  of  Providence  ......      30,ooo  settled  portions  of  the  city  were  de- 

North  British  and  Mercantile  .....  2.™°'<*«  strayed,  the  area  laid  waste  was  only 

SSSitf  oT^d™::::::::::  'SB  *<™  ******  and  thirty-85x  acres,  <J 

K»y  a  i,  of  Liverpool  ...................     133000  less  than  a  eqnare  mile,  while  the  »g- 

WashioKton,  of  New  York  ............     400000  gregate  loss  did  not  exceed  sixty  mil- 

''omruerce,  of  Albany  ..................      400000  Hnni»  nf  dollars        Thft  Htv  of  Moscow 

Continental,  New  York  ............  1,500000  K'  /•                               ^T' 

i^oriiiard.  ot  New  York  ............  l  300000  several  times  before  grievously  afflict- 

Home,  of  Coiumbna  .................     400000  ed  by  tires,  was  made  almost  a  smoking 

Mercantile,  of  New  York  ............     100000  waste    npon    its     occupation    by    the- 

fomiueri-Ul  Mutual,  of  Cleveland     300000  Vr«t»»ri  in  1P1'>    W>IPTI    hv  iir<l*r    of  th« 

Unior,  of  8  HI  Fran«i-co  ..............     800  .000  Q  ln  18U>  w%n'  '^  °, 

Fireaen'aFuafiof  SauFratitiioi)..    400.000  Kussian  governor,  KoHtopcb  in,   it  was 

Aator,  of  New  York  ....................     300,000  set  on   fire  in  five   hui  <ln'*l  places   at 

CiazftV  of  New  York.  ..............  ..      60,oco  once,  and  11,840  houses  i.nrur.  to    *he 

KSfiJond^TSloT8::  :    ..K^  Kround,besidt8P;vlac,fi   and  lurches. 

seouiicy,  of  N«w  Yoik  .............  i,50.»,ono  Hamburg,    in     Germany,      was    vis- 

Merchants',  of  Hartford  ..........     700000  ited  by   a  fire   on  the    5th    of   May, 

Connecticut,  of  Hartford  .............     eoopoo  1343,  which  continned  four  day«,  and 

^n^New^-k^:::::::::::.::.:     SK  destroyed  one-third    of  the  city.    In 

aun,  of  Cleveland  .....................     aoo.ooo  the  United  States,   the  most  mtmora- 

Hope,  of  Proviaeuoe  .................     300.000  ble  conflagration   prior  to  that   which 

Ko^er  WiliianiB,  of  Providence....     300,000  >.-_  inf.t  Aa-attata.tof\  Phinawn    was  th« 

Empire  Ciry,  of  New  York  ........     250000  uas  ^  devastated  Chicago,  wj 

New  Amsterdam,  of  New  York...     350,000  £*****        fire       m        New       York       1D 

Fulton,  of  New  York  ...................     700,000  1835,    which    extended    from   east  of 

North  American,  of  New  Yora  ......     800000  Broadway    and  sourh  or  below   Wall 

Independent,   Of  B<MtOD  ...........    1000,000  Htm-*    «1octwi-rin<T  f.SK    atnroa      tViA  M»r 

Excelfciar.of  New  York  .............     50o[ooo  >et,  destrojing  0-1 

Northwestern,  af  Milwaukee  ......     I75,t'o0  chantb7  exchange  and  the  bontn  Dutch 

Brewers',  of  Milwaukee  ................     160,000  church.     Loss  estimated  at  ^20,000,000. 

Atlantic,  or  Brooklyn....  ..........     Eoo.ooo  Other     great       fires      occurred       in 

Manhattan,  of  New  York  ..........   1,600000  pharl«a^,n     <4r»nth  Pflrnlina      Anril    O7 

HoBoe,  c>f  New  York  ................  4.000000  wleston,  feoutli  Carol  na,   Apr      J7, 

-*tna,  of  Hartford  ......................  5,000,000  1838,  when    Ilu8   buildings,   covering 

Patoaiu.  or  Hartford  .................     900,000  145acres,   were  burned  ;  in  New  York, 

CUart*r  O*k,  of  H«rtfuid  ..........     600,000  a2ain   September  6,  1839,  lose  $10,000,- 

Audee,  of  Cincinnati  ...............  1,500  ooe  P-.+  K««.V  A™!  m  i«ir    in/'A 

Lamar,  of  New  York  .................  1000  fcOO  ~°°  5  m  Pittsburgh,  April  10,1845,1000 

Beekman,  of  New  York  ............     300,000  buildings,  loss  $6  000,000  ;  in   Quebec, 

People'*,  of  San  Francisco  .............     400.COO  May  28,  1845,  1500    buildings,   and  in 

Hide  and  Leather,  of  Boston  .........     700000  Inrifi  of  thn  «ame  vear   1300    buildis?  • 

YonkerH  of  New  York                          750000  same  ye*r,  it 

North  American,  of  Hartford*.'."*.'.     500.000  in  N«w  York»  Jal?  19«   1845-  30*~  stores 

Eaterprlee,  of  Philadelphia  .......     (iOO.Ooo  and  dwellings,  loss  $6,000,000  ;  in   Al- 

Norwicb.of  CoDnecticut  .............     roo.coo  bany,  September  l>,  1848  '24  acres  burnt 

Teutoaia.  of  Cleveland  ...............      350.000  nv«r  ami  -WO  hnilrtirum  destrovdl      \rtftn 

Cleveland,  of  Cleveland  ................      700,000  r    ,     y.!    \o^ 

City  Fire,  of  Hartford...                    900000  S3.000.000  ;  in  St.  Loam,  July   9,   1849, 

Alps,  of  Erie,  Pd  ...................     350000  :550  buildings,  loss  $3,000,000  ;    in  San 

LyroiniriK,  of  Pa  ...................  J.ooo.ooo  Francisco,  May  3,  1851,  '2500  building, 

Arieman&cieVeund::::::::::::  SS  S.-fif??.?!ft  an?  a^n^ne  -^ 

Hibemia,  of  Cleveland  .............     300,0(0  1851,  500  buildings,  loss  $3,000,000;  and 

Ueriuan,  of  Cleveland  .................     aoo.ooo  at  Portland,   Me.,   July    4,1866,  when 

tioual  of  Boston                 ......     600.0M  10,000  people  were  rendered  homeles*, 

w^^^l^J.0^0™.1?.:::::  VtS  »»*  « 

Buffalo  Fire  and  Marine  ..............     400,000  t*troyt-d. 


18 


HOKBIBLR  SCENES. 


(Prom  the  N.  Y.  Tribune,  Got.  14  ] 

The  lamentable  tragedy  at  the  Historic  il 
Society  building  is  the  darkest  t*plsode  of 
thi*  day;  the  people  in  the  edifice  confi- 
dent of  ite  atreugth  gathered  their  moat 
valued  possessions  and  crowded  the  cel- 
lars in  assurance  of  perfect  safety. 
Among  them  were  citizens  of  note,  the 
venerable  Col.  Stone  and  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Able  and  two  daughters,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Car- 
penter, Dr.  Lead  and  family,  with  several 
others  notao  well  known.  While  the  fright 
ened  group  were  moving  a  tcuok,  the  libra- 
rian c*ughr>  eight  of  a  flame,  and,  snouting 
to  the  rest,  rushed  from  the  fatal  place. 
The  others,  at  least  twenty  in  number, 
were  not  seen  to  emerge,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  they  perished,  as  the  building 
was  soon  tottormg  in  utter  wreck.  Tue 
•original  copy  of  the  Lincoln  Emancipation 
proclamation  perished  among  the  most 
cherished  memorials  of  this  society. 

Death  came  to  the  crowds  in  the  open 
air  as  well  as  in  the  buildings.    A  gr«at 
following  of  ruffian?,  emboldened  by  the 
absence  of  the  polios  and  half  maddened 
with  liquor,  assaulted  several  saloons  on 
the  verge  of  the  tire  and  held  the  ground 
against  the  advancing  flime.    When  the 
moment  of  ue«d  came  they  were  too  drunk 
to  get  away.    In  this  portion  the  fire  oaiue 
on   with  eu-h    incredible    rapidity   that 
mothers  threw  their  children  down  from 
the  windows  and  then  flung  themselves. 
Throughout  the  day  and  night  every  foot 
of  advance  was  a  complete  surprise.    lu 
Chicago  avenue,  a  noble  thoroughfare  one 
hundred  feet  wide,  the  people  were  confi- 
dent of  eaoapo,  and  took  little   or  no  pre- 
caution.    Here,   as  on   Wabash   avenue, 
when  the  tire  did  come,  panic  aided  the 
devastation.    Thoughtless    women     pitad 
mattresses     and    fragile    goods    in    the 
street,    and    the    dropping    cparks    took 
bat    an    instant    to     inaUe    the     avenue 
a     glowing      pathway     of      fire.      The 
«tiile        streets       were        built       wholly 
of  wood,  and  the  thin  walls  burned  like 
shavings.    This  region,  over  by  the  lake 
and   the   great  Lincoln  park,  eeeim  d  to 
•offer  safety.    So  a  great  rush  was  made  for 
the   park,  and   the  refugees   made  tbeni- 
nelven  comfortable  in  the  delusion  of  secu- 
rity.   After  ravaging  to  the  limits  of  the 
city,  with  the  wind  dead  against  it.  the  fire 
naught  the  dried  graeses,  ran   along  the 
fences,  and  in   a  moment  covered  in  a 
burning  glory  the  Catholic  cemetery  and 
the  grassy  stretobua   of  the   great  park. 
The  marbles  over  the  graves  cracked  and 
baked,  and  fell  in  glowing  embers  on  the 
hot  tuif .    Flames  shot  up  from  the  resting 
places  of  the  dead,  and  the.  living  fugitives, 
ncreamiag  with  horror,  made,  for  a  mo- 
ment. The  ghast  iest  spectao  e  that  ever 
fell  upon  living  eyes.    The  receiving  vault, 
solidly  built  and  shrouded  in  foliage,  fell 
under  the  terrific  lUmo.aud  the  deal  burst 
from     their     coffins     as     the    fire    tore 
through     t.ie     walls     of     the     irightful 
oharnel  house.    In  the  broad  light  of  to  day 
the  place  is  the  most  ghastly  I  ever  saw, 
not  even  Cold  Harbor  exceeding  it  in  aw- 
ful suggest!  veneaa.    Above     the     gravra 
oharred  stones  stand  grim  sentinels  of  the 


dead,  no  more  memorials  of   anything  but 
disaster.       Every    inscription    has   disap- 
peared, and  even  the  dead  are  roboerf  by 
the  flames.   The  park  turned  into  a  wilder- 
ness of  fire,  the  crowds  doubled  backward 
and   made  for  the  srenues  leading  west- 
ward and  to  the  south,  to  reach  which  they 
must  crus  i  the  river.    Many  of  the  bridge*! 
were  in   flames;   the   rest   were   already 
choked  wlr.h  the   heavy    wagons    which, 
tearing  their  way  tnrough,  cruelly  aggra- 
vated the  distress  of  the  tbousands  of  foot- 
sore women  and   weary  men.    Fully  30. coo 
people   were   afoot  in    tins  quarter,  and 
this  mass  densely  wedged  into  barricaded 
streets,   batween   trampling   hor«ee,  k«pr. 
up  a  ceaseless  stream   far  into  the  night. 
With   the  nigbt,  new  volumes   of    flime 
shot  out  on    the  air,  and  new   crowds 
were  hurled   among  the    fifing  masse*. 
There  was  no   hope  of  saving  the   city, 
the  struggle  was  simply  for  life     Half-clad 
women  fiad  moaning  througn  the  streets, 
and  At  this  time,  it  is  asserted,  robberit* 
were  perpetrated  in  some  of  the  remote 
private  residences.  A  vast  throng  reached 
cue  prairie,  and  sunk  exhausted  on   the 
ground;  the  air  was  filled  with  a  torrid  heat 
and  even  at  this  great  distance  immense 
par  tic  lea  of  cinders  fell  in  showers.    The 
dreadful  agony  of  separated  families  came 
to  add  ita  horrors  to  the  calamity.    Babies 
were  found  alone  in  the  multitude,  and 
countless  little  people  crept  auout  crying 
wildly  for  their  parents.    A  blessed  ram 
came  down  slowly,  and  the  fire,  stayed  in 
ite  advance,  rolled  backward  and  flamed 
up  with  greater  fierceness  in  the  immense 
coal  piles  in  the  very  center  of  the  town. 
Then  a  new  agony  earn 9  upon  the  people. 
The  only  untouched  portion  of   the  town 
was  brilliantly  illuminated,  and  for  a  time 
ic  seemed  as  though  not  a  roof   was  to  be 
left  in  the  great  city. 

CONDITION       OF        THE        CHICAGO 
BANKS. 


The  following  statement  is  made  up  from 
the  latest  returns  received  at  the  office  or 
the  controller  of  the  currency,  The  out- 
standing circulation  is  secured  by  United 
States  bonds,  deposited  by  the  banks  with 
the  treasurer  of  the  United  States.  De- 
ducting from  the  liabilities  the  capital  and 
accumulated  profits  which  the  banks  owe 
to  their  own  stockholders,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  aesota  are  more  than  tut  ojo.ow 
greater  than  the  remaining  liabilities. 

The  following  are  the  aeaeta  ana  liabili- 
ties of  the  national  banks  in  Chicago.  June 
10,  1871  : 

ASSETS. 

Bills  receivable $19,586.735 

United  States   and  other   bonds 

and  atocfcs B.716637 

Due  from  other  banks 5,394,290 

Real  and  personal  property 729,333 

Expenses  to  be  paid 462.63$ 

Checks  and  cash  items 1,810.091 

Money 6,480,462 

Total 1*1,178.177 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital $6,950,000 

Accumulated  profits 3,323,727 

Circulation  outstanding 5.811.280 

Deposits 19.269340 


»ae  to  banks 9,089,699 

Bills  payable 244,112 

Total $41,178.177 

Number  of  banks,  sixteen. 

In  response  to  tbe  call  of  the  controller 
for  n  ports  from  tbe  banks,  showing  their 
condition  on  the  21  inst.,  bat  five  Chicago 
banks  have  forwarded  their  official  state- 
ment*. These  oame  to-day,  and  possibly 
more  may  be  received  to-morrow.  After 
that  date  it  is  not  expected  at  the  depart- 
ment that  any  further  deposit*  will  be  re- 
ceived. Partial  returns  will,  however,  be 
promulgated  by  the  controller's  office,  to- 
gether with  the  usual  promulgation  of  Na- 
tional bank  reports. 

THE  FUTURE  OF  CHICAGO. 


What  will  be  the  future  of  Chicago ! 
This  question  is  on  the  lips  of  everybody. 
Strangers  ask  it  of  Chicagoans,  and  Chi- 
cagoans  of  strangers.  Here  is  a  city  of 
three  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  that 
has  suddenly  lost  several  hundred  millions 
•f  dollars  and  two-thirds  of  its  facilities 
for  living  and  transacting  business.  The 
country  at  large  has  subscribed  enough  in 
provisions  and  money  to  bridge  over  the 
first  period  of  physical  sufferiug.  The  in- 
surance companies  and  banks  will  pay 
something,  buc  not  more  than  a  twentieth 
«f  what  would  repay  the  losses.  The  im 
mense  agriculiual  region  tributary  to  Chi- 
cago is  unharmed,  aad  productive  as  ever. 
Coioago  has  bought  ics  grain  and  supplied 
its  demand  for  meretaadiM.  The  profits 
on  this  work  for  thirty  years  has  been 
swept  away.  Ic  was  these  profits 
that  built  up  Chicago,  and  if  it  is 
rebuilt  a  similar  accretion,  year  by  year, 
must  again  be  the  agency.  The  capital 
can  not  come  from  any  other  source.  The 
tension  of  credit  at  Caioago  JVas  always 
beeu  extreme.  The  city  is  largely  in  debt 
and  so  are  its  citizens.  The  appeal  for  a 
heavy  loan  from  government,  without  col- 
lateral, Is  absurd.  It  Is  commerce  that 
builds  large  cities,  and  no  subsidies  can 
keep  them  afloat.  Much  of  Chicago's  busi- 
ness must  be,  at  least,  temporarily  divert- 
ed to  her  rivals.  But  whatever  the  condi- 
tions, she  most  siart  atresh  and  by  her 
own  energy  regain  her  position,  mak« 
good  her  losses,  and  be  content  to  know 
that  this  will  be  a  task  for  uany  years. 
There  is  no  magic  to  accomplish  it  in  a 
twelve-month. 

Another  ugly  fact  must  be  faced  IB 
Caloago.  Cicieu  built  of  wood  must  be  de- 
stroyed by  dre.  All  ov*r  the  globe  this 
law  has  no  exception.  Therefore,  Chicago 
mast  tear  down  aa  well  as  build  up.  Until 
ahe  uses  brick,  stone  and  iron  in  her  edi- 
fices capital  will  be  afraid  of  her,  and  her 
history  will  be  replete  with  dlswter. 
wbere  the  prevailing  winds  are  so  boister- 
ous there  is  a  double  need  of  solid  build- 
ings, and  a  splendid  fire  department  The 
wise  and  thoughtful  will  be  more  anxious 
to  know  how  this  city  will  be  re-created 
than  at  what  rapidity. 

The  winter,  with  its  snows  and  rigors,  is 
near  at  hand,  and  after  the  tremendous 
exqitementa  of  the  fire  must  ome  the  re- 
Action  of  facing  the  realities  of  a  plodding. 


every  day  existence  Everything  her* 
must  com*  down  at  once  to  a  basis  of 
utility.  Embellishment  must  be  sec- 
ondary to  use.  The  butterflies  of  the  city 
will  take  flight,  and  the  totally  impover- 
ished will  be  tempted  to  seek  other  scenes. 
The  classes  who  have  still  some  property 
left  will  strive  to  render  it  valuable  again, 
and  to  them  we  must  look  to  rebuild  Chi- 
cago, aided  by  such  energetic  strangers  as 
may  seek  their  fortunes  here,  replacing 
the  bankrupt  and  disheartened.  Time 
alone  can  determine  the  extent  to  which 
Chicago  in  ashes  can  hold  its  customers 
and  keep  them  contented.  For  a  year,  at 
least,  the  charitable  of  other  cities  must 
be  ready  to  contribute  t»  the  destitute  of  i 
Chicago,  and  an  organization  should  be 
perfected  here  which  could  be  officially 
recogniz'd,  and  whose  requests  lor  aid 
would  be  cheerfully  accepted  as  right  and 
proper. 

BKMARKABLE  ESCAPE— A  ROOF 
<;KO\VJ>KU  WITH  WOMEN  FALL- 
ING IN. 


[Prom  the  New  York  Sun,  October  nth  1 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William1  Spiring,  an  Eng- 
lish couple,  who  have  just  arrived  from 
Chicago,  homeless  and  friendless,  told 
their  story  thus  : 

W«  left  Salt  Like  last  week,  and  started 
for  London,  our  former  home.  We  have 
been  living  in  Salt  Lake  nine  years.  We 
^topped  to  spend  Sunday  at  Chicago.  In 
the  fire  of  Sunday  night  we  were  driven 
from  our  hotel  with  scarcely  any  clothing, 
barely  getting  out  of  the  building,  losing 
our  trunks,  oiothlng,  and  $500  in  money,  all 
we  had.  We  wandered  about  tbe  city  all 
day  Monday  in  the  rai a  in  search  of  fo«d. 
We  obtained  from  some  charitable  people 
sufficient  clothing  to  keep  us  from  expos- 
ure. The  suffering  was  mtense.  aa  neither 
food  nor  water  could  be  provided  until 
Tuesday  for  the  homeless  people.  Afcer 
that  uhey  were  provided  for  by  the  author- 
ities. On  Tuesday  the  mayor  issued  a  pro- 
clamation, announcing  he  would  issue 
passes  over  any  road  to  all  who  wished  to 
leave  the  city.  We  availed  ourselves  of 
this  opportunity  and  want  to  Pittsburgh, 
whence  the  Pennsylvania  Central  passed 
us  to  New  York,  where  we  arrived  this 
morning.  They  directed  us  at  the  mayor's 
office  to  come  out  here. 

There  was  a  sad  scene  at  the  office  of 
tin  mayor  of  Caloagi  the  morning 
following  the  issue  of  ni«  proclamation. 
Before  6  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  large 
crowd  had  gathered  In  the  street,  and 
formed  in  line,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
mayor  to  get  their  passes  out  of  the  city  of 

DtBOLATEU     HOMES    AND     WRECKED     FOR- 
TUNES. 

Befor  the  mayor  arrived  (10  o'clock)  the 
line  filled  several  streets.  From  this  time 
until  6PM  patsas  were  issued  as  fast  as 
tbeyoould  be  written.  At  6  the  delivery 
of  passes  ceased,  leaving  thousands  of 
half-naked  and  starved  men,  women  and 
children,  covered  with  ashes  and  black 
with  smoke,  to  seek  a  night's  lodging  be- 
neath the  sky.  Churches,  school  house* 
aad  dwellings  ware  thrown  open  for  the 


20 


shelter  of  the  suffering.  Still  thousands 
were  compelled  ti>  camp  upon  the  prairie, 
•with  darkness  for  a  covering  and  the  earth 
.for  a  bed.  Many  died  from  hunger,  thirst 
ar<1  exposure. 

Exprtssinen,  hackmen  and  drivers  of 
every  conceivable  vehicle,  goaded  their 
horses  through  the  throngs  of  men,  women 
and  children,  trampling  them  down  in  their 
uiad  haste  to  depot-it  their  loads  and  re- 
tarn  for  more  plunder.  An  expressman 
Made  this  reply  to  a  son  and  daughter  who 
had  carried  their  sick  father  in  their  arma 
in  in  a  third  story  to  the  street,  and  who 
offered  this  expressman  $15  to  carry  him  a 
fuw  blocks  out  of  danger: 

"Don't  talk  about  $15  to  me.  Say  $1000 
and  I  will  talk  to  you." 

They  had  no  more  money,  and  tried  to 
carry  their  father,  who  urged  them  to 
abandon  him  and  save  themselves;  but 
they  would  not,  and  were 

OVKRTAKKN  11 Y  THE  FLAMES  AND  PERISHED. 

The  horrors  as  well  as  the  extent  oi  the 
tire  were  no  doubt  aggravated  by  incen- 
diarism and  pillage.  The  police  had  to  die 
ttitmte  arms  among  the  citizens  to  protect 
their  property .  Two  men  who  stood  guard- 
ing their  goods  were  stabbed  by  roughs. 
One  died  The  murderer  was  caught  and 
hanged  to  a  post.  Many  were  hanged 
and  shot.  A  man  was  discovered  with  a 
bundle  or  straw  and  a  kerosene  can  in  hia 
arms  in  the  rear  oi  some  buildings.  He  waa 
shot  down.  On  an,  inbound  train,  while 
the  fire  was  raging,  a  fellow  said  he  was 
glad  uf  it,  and  hoped  that  the  whole  city 
would  barn.  The  paseengers  became  so 
exasperated  that  they  attacked  the  man, 
and  the  conductor  pur,  him  off  the  train. 
All  the  prisoners  in  the  armory  were  re- 
leased before  the  fire  reached  the  building, 
but  we  did  nht  he»r  whether  those  under 
the  court  bouse  and  in  the  north  side  sta- 
tion were  released,  but  we  presume  they 
were,  or  we  should  hav»  heard  it  men- 
tioned. We  saw  twenty-five  or  thirty  ser- 
vant girls  rush  to  the  roof  of  one  of  the 
large  hotels  to  leap  into  the  streets  below, 
but  the  wh«l«  rnor  fell  in  and 

THEY  M  ERE  ENGULFED. 

The  fire  uiuebt-u  me  liver  b>  large  em- 
bers and  burning  boards  several  feet 
equare,  which  were  borne  across  by  the 
vale  Never  did  a  fire  burn  so  rapidly. 
The  flames  rolled  two  hundred  leet  into  the 
air.  Curling  buck,  they  would  dart  across 
th«  street,  and  in  an  instant  another  blwck 
would  be  in  flames.  Imagine  the  un- 
burned  streets  at  iiight  filled  with  furni- 
ture, men,  women,  children  and  teams,  lit 
only  by  the  lurid  glare  of  the  pursuing 
Humes.  No  sounds  but  groans  and  criee, 
mingled  with  the  oaths  or  drivers  and  the 
roar  of  the  sea  of  fire,  whose  hungry  waves 
were  liubjue  them  no. 


THK    <;Kt..xi    i>i  i-iur    MO v KM i  NT. 


Never  before  in  the  history  of  any  great 
public  calamity  was  there  exhibited  tuch 


a  large  hearted,  spontaneous  effort   to  re- 
lieve the  distress  of  those  who  suff-ire.1. 

London  has  subscribed,  through  its  com- 
mon council,  $>ooo,  anil  private  individuals 

>.•,.(«  ii  more. 

The  great  bankers  of  London  gave  $5000 
each,  amounting  to  $35  Otx)  in  all 

Liverpool  has  given  $20,000,  the  Ameri- 
can chamber  of  commerce  contributing 

$15,0v;0  Of  this. 

At  Berlin,  Frankfort-on-the-Maia  and 
Paris,  subscriptions  are  going  on.  Alto- 
gether, the  contributions  from  abroad  will 
amount  to  over  one  million  of  dollars. 

New  York  has  given  over  two  millions, 
of  which  Alex.  T.  Stewart  gives  $Y).000, 
Robert  Banner  $10.003,  and  the  leading 
bankers,  $5000  each. 

Boston  contributions  amount  already  to 
$300,000  in  cash,  with  the  prospect  of  more. 

Cincinnati  has  contributed  $200,600,  ex- 
clusive of  clothing  and  supplies. 

8t.  Louis  merchants  have  given  $140  O'JO 
in  cash,  besides  $60,000  in  supplies. 

The  Pittsburgh  common  council  appro- 
priated $100,000.  beside  forwarding  large 
amounts  from  its  citizens 

Philadelphia  will  give  about  $200.000; 
Baltimore,  $100,000,  New  Orleans,  $50000; 
Memphis,  $25,000,  and  all  the  smaller  towns 
in  proportion. 

Up  to  Saturday,  the  14th,  there  had  been 
contributed  by  the  various  cilies  and 
towns  of  the  United  States,  an  aggregate 
of  $3,660  820,  which  h*s  doubtless  b  sen 
swelled  by  this  time  to  upwards  of  $i  000,- 
000.  Adding  the  foreign  cubfcriptions  the 
total  will  not  fall  short  t>f  seven  or  eight; 
millions  of  dollars  in  cash,  beside  the 
value  of  a  million  in  food,  clothing,  \ 

From  all  over  the  country  the  relief  af- 
forded has  been  prompt,  and  spontaneous. 
Committees  of  distinguished  citizens  are 
now  in  Chicago  from  St.  Louis,  Cincin- 
nati and  Pittsburgh,  peisonally  superin- 
tending the  disbursements  of  their  boun- 
ties. No tl'ing  has  ever  occurred  ia  this 
country  to  call  out  such  generous  and 
profound  sympathy  with  genuine  distress, 
which,  deplore  the  occasion  as  much  as  we 
may,  cannot  but  fill  the  heart  of  every 
true  American  with  pride. 


